Twilight - The Bloodmoon
by Cait the Bookworm
Summary: When Edward left Bella in the forest during New Moon, what if he had done so with something else influencing his decisions? What if he hurt Bella so badly that the Wolves were forced to resort to a legend that may not have worked? What if the reason Edward left Bella was due to something so rare, it was almost undocumented in the Vampire world? This is what we explore in Bloodmoon.
1. Chapter 1 - My Immortal

I'm so tired of being here  
Suppressed by all my childish fears  
And if you have to leave  
I wish that you would just leave  
'Cause your presence still lingers here  
And it won't leave me alone

These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase

My Immortal, by Evanescence, from the album Origin, released in 2000

* * *

I had always felt a strange connection to Bella, even before my first phase. I could never quite place what it was, and I had to shove my feelings aside as she was in love with that bloodsucking Leech. Even just saying the name caused my body to shake, a growl fighting its way out of my mouth. The feeling formerly recognised as love was later confirmed to be an imprint, but I didn't know that at the time.

I had just newly phased after all, inexperienced in this whole thing. And especially regarding the issue of imprinting. From what Jared and Sam had described, it didn't feel like an imprint. It was more like- she needed someone there, so there I was. It felt incomplete- like I was one half of a whole. But nobody could understand why- for all we knew, I had imprinted, but somehow only felt half of the bond. Like it was half-formed, and therefore at half strength.

It was unnerving, even scary- was I dysfunctional? Did I imprint with only half an imprint? Even though I resented the fact she was in love with the Leech, I wanted her to be happy. So all the time I wanted to be with her, (which, to be honest, was the majority of the time) I instead buried myself in fixing cars and motorbikes.

It was something to take my mind of Bella, whom I loved. I never told Bella my feelings for her- I never wanted to break her relationship, that would hurt her. It wasn't out of concern for the Leech himself. No, it was all about Bella. Everything was about Bella. My heart physically stung just thinking about hurting Bella, and my wolf bristled angrily at the mere suggestion. The instinct to protect was just too strong.

* * *

I was fixing Embry's Bike one cloudy day- a normal day, except I had taken a break off of pack duties- when the strangest sense of nausea overcame me. I had thought it was unusual- Werewolves don't get sick, so I couldn't explain the odd feeling of sickness. Coupled with what felt like my heart tugging at the strings, and I knew something was wrong. It was a feeling I'd never felt before- I felt like I was being pulled apart- and like many other things surrounding Bella, made me nervous.

My thoughts were suddenly filled with Bella, my instincts tugging me away from my house. I just couldn't shake it. I wasn't sure what this feeling was, it was like a premonition. I knew better than to ignore it. The last time I ignored something like this, my mother died in a car crash and my father left paralysed. The consequences of the innocence of a five-year-old, which could ruin lives. I had no such excuse this time.

'_I'll go see how she is to put my mind at rest'_

Thoughts that echoed through my mind and my wolf growled at the mere thought that I would be ignoring it. Even though I tried to reassure myself that she was fine, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. It was one of those instinctual feelings that you couldn't ignore, especially when you are part wolf.

'_She'll be with the Bloodsucker, He'll look after her'_

I internally argued, despite the thought about me still phasing winning the war in my mind. The Bloodsucker maybe my enemy, and I hated him, but surely he wouldn't hurt Bella. She 'was his everything' quote-on-quote. It was like there was this sickening feeling in my stomach, telling me that something wasn't right. Various scenarios were making me feel even more worried about what situation I could find her in, and I vibrated even more in fury.

I leapt and phased in mid-air. Fur burst out of its human shell, and my bones rearranged to accommodate for a more canine form. A muzzle emerged out of my mouth, and I could smell the scents of the forest- soon followed by the sharp improvement of my hearing. Something that now I had been introduced, I couldn't live without.

The phase had lost all pain since the first initial phase, something that I, and the rest of the pack, thanked our ancestors for. When I had first phased, I had the issue that I had centuries of Alpha Instincts, telling me to challenge Sam for the right to be Alpha. It made my wolf bristle, and being so newly phased, it was all but possible for me to reign them in.

Sam had to dodge a bite to the flank, and he was obviously fighting his instincts to submit. It would be bad for me to be Alpha- and I didn't even want to be Alpha- as I had no experience when it came to phasing or fighting or leading. Thanks to me being so unused to my wolf form, he easily slammed me on the ground and forced me to become submissive without too much damage done to me or him.

I immediately was able to reign in my instincts, and we continued from there. I truly saw how dangerous we could be- hence why I stayed away from Bella, even though it physically hurt me to stay away from her. I started to sprint towards the forest instinctively, when I felt a shimmer, indicating someone had phased in.

Quil and Embry were on patrol, running the border in case of an intruder, and I knew they cared as much as I did. They were quite protective over her, ever since they met her when she was younger. Those were the times- before this werewolf nonsense and the damn bloodsuckers screwed everything up. Times was simpler then..but I wouldn't give up my wolf for the end of the world.

"_**Jake? What's up?" **_

Embry asked as he continued his patrol. I wasn't supposed to be phased- as much as I loved unwinding in this form, they all knew I had set the day aside for fixing cars and spending time with my father. Who I hadn't spent much time with as of late. I continued running towards the forest near the Swan's house, the trees blurring into a vibrant green.

Quil just stayed quiet, concentrating on his job. These two were my best friends for many reasons- one being they were always there for me. And when I had to ignore them, because they hadn't phased, they harboured no ill will as they understood why. I know I could have broken the injunction if I'd wanted to..but if it kept them safe I would be willing to go along with it.

"_**Jacob? What's the problem?"**_

I could feel Sam shake his fur out, and stretch his muscles. It looked like he'd been lounging around, and decided to phase just as Emily was on her way out. He truly loved that girl- and all of us were happy..apart from Leah. She was still sore about it, but she was better than before.

Sam's tail was wagging as he thought of Emily, the thought of her enough to make him smile and yip happily. Instead of explaining what was wrong, I showed them how I felt, and while Embry and Quil nodded, Sam just said

"_**Go check on her, I will be near if you need us"**_

At least I wasn't being told how irrational how I am, or how unfounded my fears were. I thought a silent '_Thanks__**' **_towards Sam and I continued running to Bella's and Charlie's house. I ran as fast as I could-a speed usually reserved for chasing vampires who crossed onto our land. Quil and Embry were talking quietly to themselves, and Sam was casually running in my direction, not particularly slowly but not too fast either.

As I dug my paws into the earth, pushing my body beyond its fastest, I sniffed the air. I eventually picked up her scent, calming me a little, until I smelt the bloodsucking leeches. I coughed and spluttered as my nose itched and burned with the smell. I accidentally projected what I was smelling, and Quil, Embry and Sam gagged before I quickly reigned it in, apologising. It was like acid, it burned my nose horribly. I thought to myself,

'_She must be alright if he's with her'_.

Then I realised, his scent doubled back whereas Bella's didn't. That caused me to immediately get worried, and Sam, Quil and Embry started to share my worry. And it was a genuine worry, not the kind projected from my mind. They could feel how I was feeling, my tail drooping and my ears pulled back.

I was anxious. Worried. I wanted her to be safe. Sam started to run towards my location faster as I started to track Bella's scent. Speaking of which, It smelt like strawberries, burning wood and forests, which was an extremely enticing smell. It was a nice contrast to the Leech's horrible smell.

Then the scent changed to something sinister- blood. Its copper-like smell twisting and turning, and all throughout I was wishing and hoping that it didn't belong to Bella. I tracked faster and faster as both Quil and Embry diverted from their patrols to come and help me. They hung back further however, in case it was a ploy to lure us away from La Push.

I was pretty deep in the forest by now, Bella's scent convoluted and merged with the Leeches. Did he leave her here? Alone? As I slowly emerged through the bush, I saw Bella, _My Bella,_ in a bloody mess, for lack of a better term. Quil was violently sick at the image that he saw, and I was honestly trying to fight my churning stomach.

She didn't look like the beautiful girl I knew, her normally hazel brown eyes overshadowed, and hidden by her closed lids. What in the name of God happened?! She looked _bad, _and my instincts were kicked into overdrive.

Her bones protruding in directions they shouldn't, (I could hear Quil being sick once more, and if I wasn't so worried for Bella, I would have made sure he was okay) jagged edges pointing out of her paler-then-pale skin. Her shoulders and lower legs were bruised, turning blue beneath the pressure of the ground.

She was dirty, and looked like she had been dragged through a hedge, with twigs sticking out of her hair, and leaves intertwined with her brown locks. It wasn't recognisable as Bella, and I cried out in pain. How could this happen? How could he do this? Why is she so injured? _How _did I allow this to happen? Then I had a terrible thought; Is she even still alive?

My wolf howled in anguish at the mere thought, and I couldn't help but whimper like a kicked puppy. And I suppose I bared more relation to a dog than I ever did before. As I was still a decent distance away, I let up an anguished howl, alerting the entire pack to my situation. My howl, loud and sharp, cut through the silence of the forest, echoing and reverberating around the dense trees.

They would do anything for an imprint in need. Even if my feelings as an imprint only reached out as a protective older brother. Because that was what Bella needed- not a lover, not a friend, but a brother. Embry, Quil, and Sam gagged in horror once more, each loping faster to try and aid me and my imprint. Bella looked even paler than before, even for her, and she was passed out from what I could tell.

Perhaps that was best- so that she didn't feel the pain. I approached her, slowly, and whined lowly, hoping to gain some response. I didn't care that I would seem like a giant wolf to her, I was hoping she would at least give me a sign, a sign that she was alive. I nosed her hand softly, licking the side of her cheek with such care that I wouldn't hurt her. My heart couldn't take it if she was dead. Please, God no!

Like God himself answered my prayers, Bella slowly and surely raised her hand and placed it against my head, fur meeting skin. The look of pain and anguish in her eyes was astonishing, and I licked her palm much like a dog would, ignoring the taste of copper.

As quick as it happened, it ended, and her hand slammed back against the ground with surprising force. I threw my head back into the air once more, and let out a long, pain-filled, anxious howl, that was sure to attract the pack's attention if the first one had failed. I licked her face softly as I waited, her blood alarming both my wolf and the Pack.

* * *

Bella's P.O.V

Me and Edward were walking through the forest out the back of my house. The birds were chirping, the tree's swaying and it generally felt alive. Despite me being as clumsy as a drunken ballet dancer compared to the Cullens, I actually found the path relatively easy to walk along, even without any support. We were pretty deep into the forest, and I turned towards Edward.

He had been acting rather strangely, as of late, being more irritable, and his eyes were rarely that vibrant amber I loved so much. It was worrying, and I hadn't been able to bring up the issue to Carlisle, because I hadn't been able to see the Cullen Patriarch. As we began to stray off the path, I turned towards Edward once more.

"Edward, How deep are we going? I have to go soon"

It was true- Charlie would get worried if I was gone for too long, and I needed to cook him something to eat. We both knew that if Charlie cooked, we would be sick for weeks on end. And hungry. Edward just turned around, and if possible, glared at me, venom pooling in his eyes. They were a deep onyx, a foreign colour compared to the rest of his family. He hadn't slipped from the diet, that much I knew, but something was causing him to act this way.

Seeing that his anger was directed at me, I was confused. What had I done? I needed to make a point to talk to Carlisle about Edward. Something that I should have prioritised long before it got to this point. Maybe it was the anniversary of someone's death or something..there had to be a reason for him to not be acting..well, like Edward. Anyhow, keeping my voice soft and placating, I turned towards the vampire I loved. He continued walking ignoring me, a sharp rumbling sound emitting from deep within his throat.

"Edward? What's wrong?"

I reiterated, my eyes blinking widely in shock. He snarled a wild, animalistic snarl, and turned towards me, faster then my human eyes can see. His hands were clenched, and I imagine if he was human, sweat would be pooling in his hands. I had never seen him this angry before, especially at me. He was always kind and caring to me..arguing only if he felt his way would keep me safer.

"What's….wrong!"

He spat, glaring daggers at me. I involuntarily shook, he had never scared me before like this. I honestly didn't know what was wrong. It wasn't like him to get this mad, nor was it like him to look so much like a vampire. He kept that side of him locked up, and away from me, in an attempt to protect me from what he could be like. And this is why it was such a shock.

"Ed-"

I began before he cut me off. He raised his hand and smacked me so hard I crashed against the earth. My breathing jerked, and the breath escaped me for a moment or two, surprised that I was suddenly on the ground. And even more surprised that he was the cause. My jaw was aching, and in an attempt to speak, my speech came out garbled, and I was thanked by pain. I heard a loud snap, before screaming in pain.

I tried to stand back up, but I couldn't. My left arm was useless- It had been broken. And I knew it was broken, I had broken my arm once before being my usual clumsy self. I was no stranger to broken bones and the fact that Edward had done that made me worry for his well being. Not my own- What was causing him to act the way he was currently.

Perhaps I could get him to calm down, and then I could go see Carlisle. It wouldn't be unbelievable to think that my injury was caused by me falling over, clumsiness was a known trait of mine.

"You listen here _Isabella" _

My name was spat out like it was a piece of dirt, lying on the ground and being rubbed into the earth. He usually said it with affection, with love, not with menace and hate.

"I am sick! Sick of you seeing that_ Mutt_ and the fact that I can't do anything with you because of it! I am sick of being attracted to your blood! Sick of the fact that the _Mutt _can do everything perfectly but I can't! I'm sick of me going through hell when you don't even want me!"

I was in shock, unable to realise anything. I didn't fully snap back until he stood on my legs, effectively crushing them. I screamed once more, tears running down my face. He kicked me in the chest, leaving me winded and unable to move. The pain was so intense- I had never felt anything like it. This wasn't Edward..wasn't the Edward I had fallen in love with. Who was this 'Mutt'? The only man in my life was Edward, and he knew that.

"Ed.."

I spluttered once more before he grabbed my wrist, and pressing hard, shattered it. I could feel the fragments shaking around in the confinement of my skin, and any nerves I had were tight and painful. My wrist was cut open from the shards of bones, and it started to bleed. Yet he didn't stop. Oh, no, He was far from stopping.

'_But at least he didn't bite me,'_

I supposed, trying to find at least one positive of this entire situation. I wasn't ready to be turned yet, having not made the decision. I wasn't ready, plus there was always the feeling which was dragging me away from Edward, a feeling telling me that getting changed would be one of the worst mistakes of my life.

It was hard to focus on anything else but the pain. It seeped into my mind, which was past caring about moral dilemmas. All I could do was concentrate on the pain, rather then things like 'is Edward okay?'.

_'He somehow resisted the urge to drink my blood'._

As I lost blood, the forest span around me, with my eyesight mainly focused on Edward. He kicked me in the head, causing the darkness to envelop me. I hadn't even been able to hear his answer.

* * *

My eyesight came back to me slowly, my surroundings blurred and unrecognisable. I was still weak, and I could hardly move. The pain was abundant, and I couldn't even muster the energy to move my head. Charlie must be worried by now, the sky was a dark colour, meaning that I had probably been away for a few hours at least. But I had no concept of time... nor did I know how long I was knocked out for.

I was hoping that it was just a nightmare, the kind that you definitely wouldn't like but was far better than the truth, but since my wounds were still here, I could tell that it was all too real. I saw a large russet brown wolf with amber eyes slowly approach me, the animal centring and standing clear in contrast with the rest of my vision.

Despite it being a wolf, I didn't feel afraid. I felt safe, protected, loved. And it was weird, but I knew this wolf wouldn't hurt me. It couldn't hurt me. It carefully approached me, and nudged me, whining. It's rough tongue roamed my hand, tickling me and didn't bring about too much pain. I tried to put my hand up to it, but I couldn't.

I couldn't speak, nor move, but I was determined to show this wolf that I was alive. As the darkness approached, I fought to raise my hand, and softly placed my hand on its furry head. It was soft, furry, and beautiful. The colour suited it. No, not it. Him.

Something was telling me it was a boy, but I wasn't sure what. I was no Alice after all. Alice...had she seen this happening? I hoped not... Alice didn't seem like she would, pardon the pun, throw me to the wolves. I was Bella Barbie after all. Then, my hand dropped to the ground, and I passed out one more time.

I was sure that this would be the last time I passed out, and I wished I could have said goodbye to those I loved. The last thing I heard was the Wolf letting out a loud howl, that sounded full of anxiety and pain before I slipped off the edge into a deep sleep once more.

* * *

Key

Italics - Thoughts

Bold Italics - Pack Speech

* * *

Author's Note

So, how many of you believed that my first ever fanfiction would be about Assassin's Creed? Funnily enough, it was actually about Twilight, specifically the book universe. I had gotten pretty deep into the fandom and was fixated on 'Bella/Wolf' pairings, and about protagonists being wolves. Wolves are my favourite animals, just for a fact.

So, a couple of notes here.

1\. The wolves were wolves, and were all shifted during the events of the first Twilight. So basically, imagine that Jacob pushed Bella away, in the middle of Book 1.

2\. The wolves are much more instinctual in nature in this story, with them behaving more like actual wolves. They also can revert to a more wolf mindset, where they are more animal than human, and it is the wolf side influencing them. This will be referred to as either 'being the wolf', 'being feral' or 'the wolf taking control'

3\. Edward is not evil, but why he acted the way he did and the way he injured Bella will be explained as a further plot point. Don't hate me Team Edward fans!

And, that's about it. Oh, just to mention, this story will be updated a lot less regularly then my Assassin's Creed story, as that will take precedence. I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter of Twilight: The Bloodmoon, and are following my slight warping of the Twilight Universe.

_**Edit Notes, 12/1/20 - Fixed further errors, and fixed the lyrics at the top of the page.**_

~Cait


	2. Chapter 2 - Who Wants to Live Forever?

There's no chance for usIt's all decided for usThis world has only oneSweet moment set aside for us

Who dares to love foreverOh, when love must die?

But touch my tears with your lipsTouch my world with your fingertips

Who Wants to Live Forever, by Queen, from the album A Kind of Magic, released in 1986

* * *

Jacob's P.O.V

As I let out a howl, I couldn't help but show the state Bella was in. The Pack, being in my head in all, were shocked at what they saw, and they pushed themselves even faster to get to my location. The forest, that seemed so alive and vibrant before, seemed dead and dull now.

_**"How could he?!" **_

Sam snarled viciously, his ears curled back in anger. His entire body was shaking, and I could feel him pushing himself to his fastest pace, trying to get to me as fast as possible. It was obvious that Bella needed aid. Urgently. His reaction was a shock to me. In the whole time I had known him, Sam had always been cool and collected. I had only ever seen him get this angry once before, and I'm not inclined to mention it again.

I didn't wish to upset him, especially as he was trying to get to me as fast as he can, to try and save Bella's life. The rest of the Pack snarled, growled, basically showed their thoughts of what happened. The amount of anger whipping through the pack was overwhelming, and even though Embry and Quil had left their patrols to try and help me, Paul and Jared easily fitted in and covered it for them. Paul could be an asshole at times, but even he admitted that he would never wish this upon Bella.

_**"SHE LOVED HIM!" **_

Quil growled, anger filling his entire body. Like Sam, his body was filled with violent tremors, and his tail was raised in aggression, compared to its usual drooping and sweeping motion. Quil loved Bella as a sister, and he hated to see her in this condition. His chocolate brown fur bristled, as he let out a string of intelligible growls. His wolf was obviously pissed as all hell, if his lip constantly curling was anything to go by.

Bella was there for Quil when me and Embry stayed away from him just after our first Phase. I was forever grateful to her for doing that, when I couldn't. In response, Quil just continued to growl angrily, and the fact that he wasn't trying to crack any jokes meant that he was seriously pissed.

_**"H-He couldn't have.. Could he?" **_

Seth whined softly. Seth was so innocent, and he was one of us who could comfortably socialise and be with the Cullens. For Edward, -Seth's idol- to assault Bella like this, it made poor Seth ashamed, but also angry at Edward. I think it was safe to say that Seth was feeling betrayed, but also feeling gullible, to look up to a monster like that.

His tail was between his legs, his ears pulled back. He looked like a kicked puppy, and I hated seeing him like that, and so upset. He shouldn't be like that- he should be his usual light-hearted and happy self.

_**"S-She didn't deserve that" **_

Leah was shocked. Her voice was filled with genuine sympathy and horror. I was surprised at her reaction, but then again, she knew what it was like to be betrayed by someone you love. Leah may be a bitch at times, but she did have a heart somewhere in her body. She pushed herself towards my general direction, and I couldn't help but compare Bella's situation to Leah's.

Not that it's Sam's fault, or what she went through was the same, but she can probably sympathise with Bells. Everyone else, who hadn't voiced their opinions were no doubt yelling things in their heads.

Every so often a stray thought would ring out, and it would echo around my head, giving me a headache. I laid down next to Bella, and tried to clean her wounds. With my keen ears, I heard the snap of a branch before I turned around sharply, and let out a loud warning growl.

**_"Easy Jake, It's just me and Quil" _**

Sam soothed, even though undercurrents of anger still remained in his tone. He managed to control his anger somewhat, Within seconds Embry and Quil had caught up, each panting slightly. If the situation wasn't so dire then I might have laughed- they looked so comical.

While we were built for being fast-easily keeping up with a Vampire- going at such a high speed from such a slow start could easily slightly tire the wolf. Me, Sam, and Embry quickly phased, not caring about our modesty. It took me slightly longer then usual, due to the anger about Edward still remaining, but all I needed was the thought that Bella needed me.

After being able to tear through clothes rapidly, it was a thing you wouldn't particularly care about any more. After all, we were essentially all the same.

"Jake"

Sam spoke quickly, horror filling his tone once more. Remembering basic first aid, he hastily turned his spare shirt into a sling, and gently applied it to Bella's shattered wrist. But that was not her only injury. No, she had a multitude of them we had to look after. Each one life threatening, and each could be causing my Imprint to die.

"We need to get her back to La Push, can you carry her?"

I knew that if I had been Alpha in this scenario, I wouldn't have been able to cope as well as Sam is doing now- I would have been an emotional wreck. Even he was having issues with his anger, but knew that he was putting them aside for my benefit. He was imagining if it was Emily in this condition no doubt, and he knew exactly how much pain I was in.

I nodded, unable to speak because of my anxiety. I had never been so scared before in my life- and certainly not to the extent where I couldn't speak. I carefully bent down, trying to best find the angle to pick her up from. But that was an issue, because there wasn't a single place she wasn't injured. I couldn't pick her up without causing her pain, but I couldn't leave her because she would die.

It was a miracle she hadn't already. Ignoring the stab of pain that her agonised screech sent through my heart, I sprinted at my fastest human pace towards my house, where I knew my father would be waiting. He could do something-anything- to save my Bella. I couldn't lose her, not after so long waiting, I couldn't lose my only reason for living.

* * *

Sam, Quil and Embry had arrived ahead of me, and was already describing Bella's injuries to Billy, who had Sue, Harry, and Old Quil in the same room as her. They all flinched, knowing who had exactly done this to her, and knowing that their fears weren't unfounded.

My father suffered the most, knowing that he had not done enough to protect his son's Imprint. For the same reason, the guilt bubbled up in Sam, and I was so emotionally distressed I could not even console them. Sam said, softly, breaking up the building elders tensions;

"The others are out on patrol"

They nodded, answering the unspoken question- the house would not be destroyed by a full angered wolf pack. Just the one. They began to try and treat Bella, but I felt like I was going to cry. Our bond may not be consummated, she may not know about it, but on my side it was strong, even for a half imprint. A sad crooning note emitted from my chest, a sound of extreme anguish and pain. A sound I wasn't even aware I could make.

"Jake"

Sam broke me out of my pitiful crooning, looking at me with a sad expression on his face. He had something to tell me, something that I was more then likely not going to like. But I knew that he would have Bella's best interests at heart, and that he would never break the most sacred rule of the pack: 'Never harm a Wolf's Imprint'.

And that was what Bella was to me- and he knew it. He didn't care that she had been in love with Edward, he didn't care that it was a half formed imprint. He just knew that one of his own was in pain, and that was what prompted him to try and save her to the best of his ability.

"I have to talk to you about something"

I felt my body trembling violently, and I bit my lip to try and control it. While I had the best control in the pack, the sheer anxiousness caused that to fall away like it was nothing in the first place. My inner Alpha wanted me to force Sam to submit, and my wolf was brimming close to the surface. I knew that Sam could no doubt feel the sheer will to dominate coming out of me, and was no doubt fighting his own instincts to submit.

"Jake"

Quil warned, reminding me that I had to try and cool it. Once I had Alpha position, there was a high chance that Sam wouldn't be able to force me to submit, forcing me to stay as Alpha, which I didn't want. Not yet anyway.

My body continued to violently shake, and I went outside, disregarding the pain that I felt staying away from Bella in her time of need. I needed to hold myself together so I could hear what Sam needed to say. It may regard my Imprint's life.

"We know how you feel-"

While it was Embry's attempt to calm me down, the simple _suggestion_ set my wolf into another growling frenzy. How _could_ he even suggest that he knew what Bella was going through. He hadn't even imprinted yet! I could feel the vibrations even faster now, and I was only barely resisting the urge to phase.

No doubt Sam could tell, because he tried to calm me down, which only slightly worked. Quil slapped him on the back of the head, a complete 180 from their usual attitude. Usually it was the other way around.

"How could you know?! You haven't even imprinted! Your imprint has not been through this kind of pain by a Leech!"

I growled, causing Embry to tilt his neck up in an act of submission. It didn't do much to appease my wolf, but I managed not to tear into him. The shaking still hadn't ceased, and they had seen how volatile I was currently, attempting to hold on to my human shape.

I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood- whether they were my teeth or the wolf's I couldn't know. I wanted to mutter an apology, but I couldn't. I was too heated up. And no, that wasn't a pun.

**"Jacob. Calm"**

Sam tried to place an injunction on me, in an attempt to restrict me from going apeshit crazy. It didn't do much, but I lacked the resolve to shatter the injunction- even though I could. Both me and my wolf knew that. I looked at Sam with narrowed eyes, and they lacked his characteristic confidence.

His eyes were filled with the urge to submit to the Alpha, while mine were filled with the urge to dominate. It was an urge that when it got heated, I struggled to contain. Sam's wolf would never be able to be an Alpha- any wolf could realise it. He lacked the bloodline, the ability to be one- he would always be a Beta.

He paused, swallowing, before he tried to figure out how to explain something to me. And I hoped he would hurry up because I was beginning to lose what little control I had.

"She..she's not going to survive...human."

I lost it. I'm not ashamed to admit it. My human skin burst, tatters of the little clothing I had floating down around me. Sam quickly phased upon seeing that I wouldn't be able to phase back anytime soon. Sam flinched upon seeing the pure rage and anguish that flooded through me, but stood steadfast and tried to explain his train of thought.

_**"There's an old Quiluette legend. Legends say that the blood of an Alpha and a Beta combined, have increased healing abilities. Not much is known about the Legend, nor is there any recorded incidents of where this was used, but I figured you would like to know all options."**_

I knew that I wouldn't be able to phase back anytime soon, regardless of how Bella was. She had to live- I would do anything to keep her alive. Anything. I looked at Sam's form, who was sitting while I paced anxiously back and forwards, my tail swishing backwards and forwards aggressively. My wolf was coming incredibly close to taking control, and we didn't need that.

Realising that pacing was just making both me and Sam more anxious, I laid down and put my head on my paws. I encouraged Sam to go on with what little he knew, as he remained a cautious distance away from me. He knew that a simple misstep would cause my wolf to lunge towards him and tear at his flank.

_**"Other than that, I can't say we know much more. Harry and Billy are combing the legends thoroughly, but we might not have time for them to get definite results."**_

It didn't take much thought to realise what he meant by we might not have the time. I couldn't even think about it because it made my heart stab with pain. Sam flinched as he felt what I felt, and regretted having a pack mind sometimes.

It caused my- the pack- to hurt with my pain. I nodded towards Sam, just as Sue came out of the door, standing against the doorway with anxiety. I backed away slowly, just in case I lost it. I didn't want to harm Sue when she was doing her best to keep my imprint alive.

"I've done all I can..but without an intervention..she has a low...chance of survival."

She looked at me both anxiously and remorsefully, as my paws dug deep into the dirt. I would not lose it. My imprint would not die. It would not happen. I would save my imprint. Even if she had to try this so called legend. I nodded my head towards Sam. I would not risk my imprint's life. We would do it.

Sam nodded, and quickly phased back as Embry went indoors. Quil approached me, and asked if he could stroke my back. An attempt to calm me down, he said. I nodded and he sat next to me, attempting to keep me calmer. The simple act of him running his hands through my thick fur was helping me to keep a hold of my human side, calming the wolf down and reducing the chances it would tear into whatever it saw.

It was working to an extent. Embry quickly passed Sam a knife, and gave him a small sterilised bowl. Knife in the same hand, he clenched his fist, causing a gash to appear. He bled into the bowl, before bringing it over to me, asking for my left forepaw. I handed it to him, and he quickly sliced across my upper paw, letting the blood also drain into the bowl.

I followed him inside, and curled up near Bella, refusing to leave her side. Sam handed Sue the bowl, as she nodded, and quickly left with it. I didn't know what she was doing but she'd better do it fast.

My Imprint was on the line.

* * *

She came back a few minutes later, and I kept one eye on her as I stayed curled up protectively at Bella's bed. No enemy would get past me. I would keep her safe as the Bloodsucker failed to do. It was nice that the pack mind was quiet, Paul and Jared leaving me to my own thoughts and intent to murder.

_**"Can I have his leg?"**_

_**"I'll take the Bastard's di-"**_

Jared nipped at Paul's leg as they continued to run patrol, before the pack mind subsided into silence once more. Paul's eager vengeance for Bella was surprising, considering how much he hated her at the beginning. But something seemed to have changed..was it because of what the Bloodsucker had done to her. In the forest?

A grudging quiet affirmation was the response to my thoughts, along with the echoing sentiments of un-justness, and how she didn't deserve that. Sue poured the blood into a small but thin needle, and I knew that Bella would be flinching if she was awake. But she wasn't..and the sad feeling of that encompassed me. Sue turned back towards me as she softly jabbed the needle into her arm. Her eyes were just asking for permission, and I nodded, as I uncurled and got up from my position.

I nudged into her leg, and she reached down and patted my head softly. She put her hand on the plunger, and pushed it in, and all I could smell was the copper smell of blood, accompanied by Bella's scent. I curled back up to the side of Bella this time, and nudged at Bella's hand, where it spayed limply over the bed. It twitched for a slight moment, before completely relaxing, back to it's lifeless state once more.

Despite the reassurances that it would definitely heal her, I was still anxious. Could it have negative side effects? Could it ultimately kill her? Would it turn her into some sort of mutant? I was worrying out of my mind, whining pitifully. I brushed my head against her limp hand, looking for some sort of response- even though I wasn't expecting one.

And true enough, there was no response from her hand, not even a twitch. I had the sudden urge to howl- but I didn't want to do it so close to Bella, because it could damage her ears. But I also didn't want to leave Bella- she was fragile and unprotected in this state. As if Sue heard my thoughts, she came back in, holding Bella's favourite book, _Wuthering Heights. _How she knew that and how she had a copy I wouldn't know- but I didn't care.

"Go Jacob- I'll be here while you're gone."

Nodding, I walked out, tossing a backwards glance at the still form of my Imprint. Sue made a shooing motion, and I strolled outside, running a short distance into the forest. I didn't want to go too far, but I didn't want to stay in the forest. I sat on my haunches, and looked up into the deep dark sky.

I threw back my head, and howled loudly into the sky, letting out a howl of mourning, of worry, and anguish as it all faded away. It still lingered but not to the extent it was prior. A howl wasn't going to get rid of my emotions, but it helped control them. Soon enough, nine other wolves joined my chorus, some of the howls sounding more human like then others.

The symphony echoed for a few moments, before I turned tail and headed back to my Imprint, the fear of leaving her unprotected coming to me once more.

* * *

Key

**Bold - Injunction**

_**Bold Italics - Pack Speech**_

_Just Italics - Thoughts_

* * *

Author's Note

So...after much deliberation, I changed my mind about the update schedule of Bloodmoon. Rather than uploading a new chapter at the same time as I upload the new chapter for my AC story, I would update Bloodmoon on Thursdays, and keep the normal update schedule of Sunday for my AC story. So...sorry Cuteballerina13 , I guess I lied about when the next chapter would be. My bad. It was a spontaneous change, so to speak.

Annnnddd my exams are looming ever closer, just like the eventual end point for EIT-NIP. Although there is a much longer timeframe for that. And as it looms closer, I'm beginning to panic. So...that's fun. On another note, I have gotten really into Spider-Man PS4, so much so that I have 100% the main campaign and the first two DLC's. I haven't quite finished Silver Lining yet, but I'm enjoying it all the same. Those guys with the bloody miniguns...grrrr...

Speaking of which, who's hyped for ENDGAME?! I know I am. I can't wait to see where they go with it, and who lives and who dies. And some part of me wants to see Stan Lee's last cameo...rest in peace. Despite this, I am somewhat sad about the finale of the Avengers, because while it has lived a long course, it is the longest running, most successful, superhero movies ever. Hands down.

Anyway, I've got to go. I'm working on drawing something on my computer as a bit of fan art...well...illustrated art. I can't be a fan of my own work now, can I?

Have a nice week as per usual, and see you all on Sunday!

_**Edit Notes, 28/5/19 - Fixed paragraph issues, typos, and general format.**_

~Cait


	3. Chapter 3 - She Wolf (Falling to Pieces)

You loved me and I froze in time  
Hungry for that flesh of mine  
But I can't compete with the she wolf who has brought me to my knees  
What do you see in those yellow eyes?  
'Cause I'm falling to pieces

Did she lie and wait  
Was I bait, to pull you in  
The thrill of the kill  
You feel, is a sin  
I lay with the wolves  
Alone, it seems  
I thought I was part of you

She Wolf (Falling to Pieces), by David Guetta featuring Sia, from the album Nothing But The Beat, released in 2011

* * *

Bella hadn't improved in the past few days. If anything, she got worse. Her temperature shot up so that it resembled ours, and cold flannels that Sue put on her head were dry in a matter of thirty minutes. I had barely managed to phase back, sitting by her side as I held my hand in hers, pleadingly.

If she had been any other person, we would have taken her to the hospital. We knew she hadn't been bit- but we also knew that she wouldn't have survived had she been taken to a hospital. We couldn't now- not with our blood, no matter how diluted- running through her veins. Perhaps our chance at healing her had only doomed her further.

We couldn't explain why she was still alive with the injuries she sustained, nor could we explain how she was still alive with her fevers. Despite everything, her breathing had steadied out, the steady thrum easily audible. A few of the minor injuries she had healed up, becoming nothing more then little purses of pink.

She hadn't eaten in a few days- if she didn't awaken soon she would lose weight and her body wouldn't be able to fight any more. In the event she didn't wake up soon enough, we would get the Rez doctor to put an IV and fluids into her. I hoped it didn't come to that- because I knew how much Bella hated needles.

I think she would pass out if she awoke to find one in her. I just wanted her to wake up- yet it seemed that it had been so long since she had fallen into a coma. Realistically, it had only been a week. But a week was enough for me to run ragged, for the Cullens to move away before we could collar Edward, a week for her body to deteriorate.

What kind of protectors were we if we couldn't defend those who needed it most- our imprints? Had the Cullen's not fled, I'm sure Sam and the Pack would have ripped him a new one, and burned the pieces. They broke the treaty the minute Edward maliciously attacked Bella- and we wanted vengeance.

Suddenly, a howl reverberated through the silence surrounding La Push. It was rather high pitched, like that of a wolf pup. Like a yowl half howl. It was no normal howl either, regardless of how it sounded- rather it was one that screamed Leech. On instinct, I threw off my clothes, and phased, making sure that Bella was a safe distance from me.

Russet fur grew over me, my joints quickly re-shifting into my canine form. My spine arched, pushing outwards to form my bushy tail. My eyesight increased dramatically, as did the sounds that were audible to me. Upon phasing, the pack mind was filled with various worries, asking who the Leech was, and who sounded the alarm. It was confusing, before we realised that it was Seth who had signalled the alarm.

"_**Leech. One. Don't know if it is a Cullen. Near south-east border."**_

That was a start. But the south-east border was too near Bella for my liking. At least if I was already in wolf form, I could be faster to act if the Leech came here, or near here. I knew that I would only go after the Leech if Sam felt like he needed all the wolves, but he also understood that Bella needed defending in case Edward came back for round two.

"_**Jacob- Stay with Bella. Seth- Head to your house and help Jacob. Brady, Colin, Paul and Embry run the borders. Make sure it doesn't sneak by. Leah, Quil, Jared and myself will track the Leech, and if it is any of the Cullens, work as a team to take them down. No mercy."**_

It was unlike Sam to see him so vicious, but the Cullens, like previously stated, had broken the treaty. We had grounds to attack. And we would. I temporarily lost myself in the pack mind, feeling Sam's paws push forcefully against the ground, the bleach like smell of a Leech haunting his nostrils. He was panting, his tongue flying out in the air, but he could easily track the Leech. It wasn't something he could afford to lose- not after Bella.

* * *

I snapped out of the Pack Mind as I realised that Bella was beginning to stir. Her heartbeat picked up rapidly, and I could hear the distinct sound of her breathing. If she woke up now to see me in wolf form- that wouldn't go down very well and could possibly stint her recovery. I walked outside, and tried to collect myself enough to phase.

I reigned in all my anger, my fear, and thought that Bella was safe, happy, _healthy. _And she was waking up. It wouldn't be very good for her if she caught me in my wolf form without be telling her before hand. I breathed in, and with the telltale surge of heat, phased back into human form- fur and extra limbs retracting, my spine rearranging into a more humanoid form.

I hastily threw on my shorts, lamenting over the loss of a t-shirt. I didn't have time to go and grab one, so I hoped Bella didn't mind me only being in a pair of shorts. I walked back in hesitantly, unsure of whether she would be conscious or not- I needn't have worried.

"Jake?"

Her voice quivered, her brown orbs looking at me. I met them, before I sat myself down beside her, my hand in hers. The wolf in me crooned and warbled in happiness, wanting nothing more then to rub his head against hers, and claim her as his mate.

Obviously, Bella didn't even know that I was a werewolf, and I had no intention of claiming her right here and now. We would court like normal people- not like a wolf. God, we didn't even use the word 'court'. Date. I meant date.

"I'm here Bells- how are you feeling?"

She blinked at my question, before she leaned into my shoulder after she hoisted herself back up into a sitting position. Her wrists, despite shattered, had healed remarkably well, and it didn't seem like there was any repercussions, much to my relief. I wasn't sure how she had healed so rapidly- rivalling even our own.

All Sue had to do was reset the bones, and try- keyword being try- to align her wrist fragments into shape. They were in so many and so small shards that it was like sticking glass dust together. Practically impossible. The strength that the Leech must have used was astounding- and for the wrong reasons. That was what could happen if we supernatural creatures lost control..and Bella had been the one to pay the price.

And apparently, that old legend failed to mention the super human healing part. Her bruises were all healed up- and Sue had given her a sponge bath a little while ago, realising that Bella probably wouldn't have felt comfortable with being dirty. If you had walked across her in a street, you would have hardly been able to tell that she had been near death a week ago. She healed that fast.

"Um..dizzy. Very dizzy."

She blushed heavily, her cheeks going blood red. She was adorable when she did that- but she was really testing my control. My wolf really wanted out now, and I was trying my best to pacify him _while _making sure that Bella was okay. Oh, and the fact that I needed to keep an eye on the Leech situation.

The dizziness, while I'm no doctor, was probably due to the lack of liquids and food she had been receiving lately. While we did end up managing to get some soup down her, and some water, it hadn't been enough.

"I think your concussion has passed- the dizziness is probably due to the lack of food. Do you feel like eating?"

Her stomach rumbled, pretty much answering my thoughts for me. Her blush decided to rejoin her face, and I pretended to ignore it. I didn't want to embarrass her after all. I didn't want to address the elephant- or rather vampire- in the room, so I thought it was best we got her fed- and maybe even up and about if we could. Sue- who seemed to be psychic- came in with a small bowl of soup, followed by a cheese sandwich.

"Nice to see you awake Bella,"

She greeted, placing the food and water on the small desk beside the bed. Bella put her hair behind her shoulders, probably trying to keep it out of her food. She shifted herself slightly, before Sue carefully balanced the food on her lap, her spoon sitting on the side. I trusted Sue to look after my Bella- and I knew that she would be okay.

"Thank you..Sue, Jacob."

I smiled at her, as I faintly heard a wolf howl in the background. I was reassured, but also anxious- that was not the howl for an injured pack mate, nor was it the howl for that they captured it- no, it was the howl signifying that it got away again. But the pack would be even more aware now- because we had an imprint on the line- and she would not be hurt again by that bloodsucking leech.

* * *

"Charlie thinks you are out camping with us, he's okay Bella."

Her first thoughts were worrying about Charlie, whom we had lied to try and keep not only our secret safe, but also so that we didn't have to explain how Bella got hurt. Because it didn't look like any animal attack I'd seen ever. And it would probably cause Charlie to go out hunting for whatever animal we said hurt Bella, which would not only make phasing and patrolling difficult, but could also expose them to the Leeches.

And whether they were apart of the Rez or not, we had a duty to protect them. Charlie had been happy to hear that she was hanging out with us, after not talking in so long, and I felt bad about lying to him. But it was for his own good- Cullen could go after him if we weren't careful. I'd have to talk to Sam about adding Bella's house to the territory.

She exhaled in relief before she sat relaxed slightly, shuffling in her bed awkwardly. Now that Bella had woken up, I was a lot less tense- and my control had returned to me once more. I wanted nothing more then to claim her- and I was constantly resisting the urge to phase. My wolf wanted to sniff her, lick her, confirm for his self that his Mate was safe. And I couldn't allow him to do that while she was injured.

Well that, and the fact she didn't know about my wolf in general. I conversed with Bella for a little while, before I heard an 'everyone phase right now' howl. I knew that this time I couldn't ignore it. But how could I escape without her becoming suspicious?

Luckily, Sue came in, saying that Sam was asking for me, and that I needed to come to his house urgently. I looked to Bella apologetically, while subconsciously thanking Sue from the bottom of my heart. I dashed outside, and once I breached the tree line, I shed my clothes and phased in mid air, quickly and painlessly.

"_**Same Leech as before."**_

Sam growled out as he pursued him. I bounded after him, flanked by Quil and Jared. The rest were patrolling the border to keep everyone safe. It was hard to recognise the scent- because not only were their scents burning to our nose, but that made it difficult to identify their scent.

The only reason we could recognise the Cullens was that we had grown slightly used to their scents, but even far away we couldn't identify their scents. And from the smell of this scent, they were close but not close enough to identify.

"_**Has anybody identified or seen it yet?"**_

My answer was a chorus of no's. Great. They couldn't go anywhere near Bella! She was already weak enough as it was, she couldn't cope with this on top. We hadn't even explained to her the Imprint or Pack Life. How do we explain that 'You almost died because of your Leech boyfriend?'

Sure, subtlety wasn't my best suit, but even I knew that would be a bad idea.

Subtlety was more Sam's thing then mine. But considering she blamed Sam for taking me away from her, and that she would definitely try to punch him in the face, it would probably be best for me to tell her. And I wasn't looking forward to that conversation. I concentrated on tracking, while it wasn't my best skill, I was good at it enough to get by. But no matter how far I tracked, it seemed that the owner of the scent was getting further and further away.

"_**He just passed us!"**_

Embry yelled, as we all suddenly turned on our heels and sprinted back to the Reservation. Embry showed how he caught a faint flicker of movement beside him. He was fast- and it was suddenly obvious _who _it was. Only one Leech we knew of could run that fast- and one who could read thoughts who was able to dodge Embry even though he was normally unnoticeable.

And that same vampire was one who tried to murder my imprint just a week earlier. Embry's sudden silence was all I needed to know, and I pushed myself to the limit. Embry was the one closest to the Reservation, and to Bella, and he was pushing himself to the limit.

We could keep up with Vampires hypothetically, especially those who had what was deemed a _normal _speed, but with this Vampire? He could easily outpace our fastest, and since she was currently with us...I had to hope that Embry could get there before anything could happen, and that somebody could back him up. Even as my muscles screamed, I couldn't get fast enough.

I was terrified for my Imprint- and since he simply ignored us, it was clear he was going after Bella. But as much as I hated the Leech, as much as I hate what he _did _to Bella, I couldn't help but ask- what was _wrong _with him? He not only hurt the one he supposedly loved, but he also damned near killed her.

If he hurt her..I would do much more then maul him. And from the look of Sam's face, he agreed wholeheartedly. The Leech better watch out, because not only did he shatter the treaty but he hurt one of_ us_. And by hell would he pay.

* * *

Embry, by some sheer force of luck, managed to catch onto Cullen's leg, throwing him back before cornering him and snarling around the house protectively. Not only was Bella in the house, but Sue was as well. Both could be an innocent bystander in this. He had already proven himself to be willing to attack whoever he wanted- as evidenced by Bella.

Why hadn't Doctor Leech come and, oh I don't know, reigned in his murderer of a son? Was he even aware that the Leech had done this? Leah was the next to arrive, being the fastest and second closest to her. She was soon followed by Paul and Seth as they surrounded the Leech, who was clean and 'perfect' in all his entirety.

"_**Why did you hurt Bella?"**_

Embry growled out, staring the Leech down as the four of them covered him in a circular shape, trying to fence him off from attacking the house. Me and Sam were almost there, our muscles burning and stretched from the run. Soon enough our pack fluidly folded into formation, circling Edward and growling violently and eager to tear him piece from piece.

If you didn't consider the fact that he had hurt Bella a few days ago, and had shattered the treaty, you would think he looked normal. But there was murder in his eyes, and not the normal one that lingered in Vampires. A different kind of murder.

"That Bitch?"

He scoffed and I snarled louder, teeth on display, ears pushed to the back, and my hackles raised. I was ready for a fight, but no doubt, he was as well. The fact that he had referred to Bella as a bitch shocked me- he had always given the impression that he loved her with his entire being. People could change, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised.

"She never had enough time for me, whispered 'I love yous' and 'you're my everything' that meant nothing, and worst of all she always spent time with _you _mutts!"

I was shocked for the second time that day. Because he was clearly delusional. Bella hadn't spent time with us since I had first phased, and Bella wasn't one to whisper I love you if she didn't mean it. Adding onto the fact that she hadn't ever known that we were wolves, so she would never refer to us as 'mutts.' So what the hell was he on?

"Believe it, don't believe it. It means nothing to me. What matters is finishing her off for good."

Funnily enough, I _didn't _believe him. Didn't believe a word of it, didn't trust any of his kind. And the fact that he spoke so casually about killing Bella caused me and my- the- pack to snarl viciously, with me issuing a verbal challenge to him. He just looked at me as if I was child's play, and with a murderous glint on his face and a bloodthirsty snarl, replied to my challenge, causing the entirety of the pack to spring, snapping at legs, pouncing on arms, and tugging at his shirt.

Edward sprinted into the side of Seth, who had managed to dodge most of the hit, but was still hurt in the hind legs, causing him to elicit a high pitched whine as his leg was pushed back. Leah didn't let him cause any more damaged to her brother as she clamped her teeth around his leg and pulled, dodging away lithely when he tried to kick her.

Both me and Sam nodded to each other, and Sam distracted him as I sneaked around the back of him, attempting to butt into him and force him to become distracted, allowing us to fight him. But unfortunately, he was a mind reader. Have I ever expressed how much I fucking hated that ability.

He smirked as he easily dodged another lunge from Paul, and I was cursing him to all depths of hell. We were so distracted, we hadn't even noticed a dark coloured tawny wolf with a black splodge on it's lower legs run up and full on chomp on the Leeches leg. He had kicked out in retaliation, and landed it on the front half of it's body. They whined in agony, before slinking away and letting us take the lead, allowing us to distract the Leech.

They then sneaked around similarly to what I'd tried to do, and took a bite at Edward's torso, and while they managed to hurt him, it caused him to pick it up, and throw them away, landing with a hard roll on the ground. It looked like they wanted to stand to fight again, but couldn't, their legs buckling underneath them.

By the time we had noticed the new arrival, Edward had promptly decided to flee, with half the pack pursuing him and half the pack staying with the new arrival. We waited for a panicked voice only to realise they were silent, but it wasn't because they were unconscious, no. Because while they were awake, with both fresh and old wounds, lying splayed on the ground, they were snarling viciously, ears still back and hackles still raised.

We knew that it was one of us, due to the size, but not only did we not know who it was, but we also couldn't ask. Not only because they weren't apart of the pack mind, but also because they had lost themselves to the wolf instinct.

As much as I wanted to check on Bella, I knew that we had to find out who the arrival was, and calm them down so that they were no longer feral. And we had to do it fast- it wasn't good for a new arrival to go feral so soon into phasing.

* * *

Author's Note

Thank you to everyone who reads this story, who enjoy it! I'm overwhelmed by how many people actually like this, considering that it was my first ever one, and was rough around the edges and pretty unoriginal. I read every review, and it always puts a smile on my face, especially considering that I'm super stressed out about it. So thanks! It makes me happy to know that people enjoy this story!

On another note, ENDGAME IS OUT. FINALLY. I know I've been going on and on about it, but I haven't been this excited for a film in years. Although, granted, I haven't been alive that long in theory. And that's all I'll allude to my age. YouTube is a like a land mine at the minute: 'Endgame Spoiler this' and 'best scene in Endgame that'. So I'm just like: 'Well, I guess I better hurry up and see it'. I'm hoping to maybe see it either tomorrow or Sunday, just before my first exam which is on Tuesday. It'll be a nice distraction I think

Speaking of which, I should probably get back to revising, so I'll see you all later.

Have a nice week, and see you on Sunday

_**Edit Note, 28/05/19 - Paragraphing issues fixed.**_

~Cait


	4. Chapter 4 - Stronger

You think you got the best of me  
Think you had the last laugh  
Bet you think that everything good is gone

Think you left me broken down  
Think that I'd come running back  
Baby you don't know me, 'cause you're dead wrong

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You), by Kelly Clarkson, from the album Stronger, released in 2011

* * *

Sam had been trying for the last hour to make contact with the still unknown wolf, but not to any avail. Seth, as the least intimidating of us, had approached them (after he was healed of course), tail ducked in submission, but he received a nip to the nose in warning. And he had told us as such- it was as if the wolf didn't want to hurt us, they were just scared.

And understandably so. I hadn't scented them as of yet, but the minute I did it was an enticing smell. They smelt like burning wood coupled with the natural aroma of a woodland forest and strawberries was practically drawing me to them. And it made me doubt, for the first time since it had happened, that I hadn't imprinted on Bella.

Because the smell was the most amazing thing I had ever smelt, drawing me to her. I told Sam I'd try to approach her, and he nodded, warning me to be hesitant. I carefully walked over to them, trying to convey in my body language that I wasn't out to maul her. I know some wolves could react badly to me, especially considering that I had the air of an Alpha surrounding me.

Surprisingly, they only reacted with curiosity, as they carefully and painfully got up, and I wanted nothing more then to brace against them. Their legs were shaking beneath them, strained and they were obviously injured by the hit they had received earlier. I just wanted to lick and clean the wounds, but I also didn't want to get bit, as they were obviously still scared.

Despite the strain, they managed and strode over to me, sniffing under my neck, before sniffing around me entirely as I wagged my tail slowly and sniffed them in return. We finally got a verbal response, as they announced, to the entire pack:

_**"Mate."**_

The voice sounded a lot like Bella's, and to my surprise, a lot of the pack agreed with me. It wasn't just me. I was suddenly dreading the conversation with Bella a hell of a lot more now. She (I think it was safe to assume it was a she) stumbled on her legs before practically collapsing, as I fought to brace her.

She didn't phase back, probably as a protective mechanism, but it left us wondering what we could do but take her to Sue, who was our resident wolf doctor. Once there, we would get a shock of our lives.

* * *

The first thing I had noticed when I entered Sue's house was that Bella wasn't on the bed any more. Sue came dashing out from the kitchen, before gasping out as she saw the unconscious wolf in my arms. She seemed to know who it was as she immediately started to tend to her as I dropped her carefully on the bed.

"Where's Bella?"

I asked with fear, thinking the bloodsucker had somehow managed to grab her despite our interference. The food that Bella was eating was on a plate was strewn across the floor, the glass of water seemingly untouched on the bedside cabinet.

She carefully rolled the wolf on her side before parting the thick splodge of black fur surrounding her hind legs, and carefully examined them. She winced, before flexing the foot of the unconscious wolf, as she quickly grabbed a bandage and placed her hands on the limb in question.

"The wolf_ is _Bella. I don't know what happened but one minute she was eating, the next she was shaking and bolted out of the door in the form of that wolf. The phase itself was one of the quickest I'd seen, and it looked like she hadn't even realised what had happened."

I think I've lost it. There was no way that Bella was the wolf that had somewhat saved us all. She didn't have the gene, so how the hell had she phased? Even ignoring that, how had she healed enough to even attempt to walk. Sure, she looked okay after our impromptu blood transfusion, but we hadn't explored the lasting effects, not including the injuries, both internal and external.

Sam looked just as surprised as I did, before he decided to leave me alone with my Imprint, of which I had no doubts. We would explore why I had only a half imprint later. Bella took my priority right now.

"I'm going to see how Harry and Billy are doing in regards to coming the legends."

He turned to face me, looking forlorn at the unconscious Bella on the bed. He stroked her fur briefly, before retracting his hands to himself. I knew that he was only doing it to comfort Bella, even if she couldn't feel it.

"I'll let you explain it to her. We can hold off training until she is well again."

I nodded as I started to run my hands through her course fur, ignoring the bloodstains and being careful not to touch any cuts. I was rotating around Sue as she worked on Bella once more, although at least this time she had our healing to heal up the lesser wounds while Sue worked on re-breaking bones.

With any luck, she would be completely healed by the time she woke up. I guess I was thankful for that at the very least. God, I had a lot of explaining to do..probably starting out with why she was a wolf and why I ignored her..I'm fully prepared to get punched, because to some degree I deserved it.

Knowing that Bella would most likely wake up in wolf form, I went outside and took of the pair of shorts I had, tying it around my leg, before phasing into my large, canine and russet brown wolf alter ego. I trotted back in, head butted Sue in both thanks and greeting, before I curled up at the front of Bella's bed, head on paws, and waited, talking to the phased pack to pass the time.

* * *

Bella only took a couple of hours to wake up this time, much to my thanks. We had still not had any information on this legend that we had instigated the use of, but I knew they were trying their best. It wasn't their fault if the legend hadn't been recorded like it should've, or if it was so old it was lost to time.

I first noticed when Bella woke up, when I felt someone enter the pack-mind, someone new and unrecognised. The thoughts drizzled in softly, quietly at first, and it was obvious that the wolf, who we knew was Bella, was confused and somewhat out of it. But, we were comforted by the fact that it was Bella, and not her wolf. We would've had quite the issue if it turned out that she was still her wolf.

"_**Where am I?..Edward?..Did he actually..he must have...but the question is where am I..because it certainly isn't the hospital or the Cullens."**_

I could hear her shifting on the bed, and she couldn't see me from her position. At least it would let me explain it to her gently. I needed to get up soon because I could feel cramp building up in my forelegs, but I was also trying to fight the urge to claim my mate, which had suddenly arisen now that I knew she was okay. I knew that some of the others had the urge, obviously excluding Quil, who only felt the urge to protect, nothing more, and nothing less.

_**"Bella? How are you feeling?"**_

The other wolves who were phased allow their thoughts and conversations to fade into the background, knowing that so many sounds could be disorientating to a new wolf. I could see Bella recognising that it was my voice, but I could also feel the tinge of sadness she felt when it came to me. I had really broken her heart..

_**"Jacob?..I'm feeling...alive?...and really..really...hungry. But otherwise, I feel okay. I think. I feel a bit..out of body."**_

Well, that was understandable. I waited for the flash of rage, of anger, something to tell me that she was filled with an anger just deserved. But all I could feel was the tinge of minute pain, discomfort and sadness.

She shouldn't be feeling sad..she had done nothing wrong. I couldn't put it off any more, I had to break it to her that she was a wolf..and I'm just thanking God that she hadn't mastered how to probe into our minds yet, or explore our thoughts.

_**"Where are you Jake? I can hear you clearly yet I can't see you.. And it sounds kind of..echoey."**_

Okay, I guess a good place to start would be walking into her sight. If I can explain it while giving a practical example, then maybe she won't freak-out so much. Or at least, she won't become terrified. Because I remember how terrifying it was to phase for the first time.

_**"I'm going to come out now. Remember that no matter how I look, I'm still your Jake."**_

I could practically sense her unease after I had spoken, but it was also accompanied by some degree of anticipation and agreement. Luckily, she hadn't noticed that she was a wolf yet, which was working in my favour, as most of us clocked almost immediately that we weren't human. But since she was lying down, and looking most likely at the window, she would have no reason to think any different.

I carefully stretched out and walked up next to her bed, shaking my fur out. As I locked eyes with Bella, it was like I had imprinted all over again, and judging my the surprise on her face, and the confused yet loving emotions emanating through the pack mind, she had felt it too. She was my everything all over again- and I just wanted to be there for her with an even larger intensity.

_**"Jake? Is that you? Are you the wolf I saw in the forest?"**_

Wait, _that's _her priority? No yelling? Screaming? Panicking? She was just thinking back on if I was the wolf she saw? I shook my fur out as she curled her legs up, and I leapt up to join her on the bed. Thankfully, it was strong enough to support the both of us.

_**"Yes. We- the pack- are shifters. Although we refer to ourselves as werewolves. Some of us in La Push are descendants of Taha Aki, giving us the gene to shift. We are the first in a generation to shift, my father's generation having skipped the gene."**_

She nodded her shaggy head, before she seemed to realise that she wasn't quite human..well, not at the current moment of time anyway. I quickly gathered my memories and projected them to her, starting from how we had found her, through to having to fight Edward, and her running out to fight him along side us.

I remembered to show her how we had been forced to heal her, and to show Bella her new form. Bella was contemplative, and I didn't pry in her thoughts. I hated it at the best of times, so I'd like to give her as much time to get used to it as possible. Although, I had noticed that the pack mind was completely silent.

Usually, if our thoughts were being kept to ourselves, there would still be a ripple, being able to sense the others minds. But now, the only mind I could sense was Bella's. And I already knew that some of the pack were phased, patrolling in case leec- no, let's not upset Bella, _Edward _is out there once more.

**_"Thanks Jacob.. Do we know why I'm like this?"_**

**_"Not yet. Shall we see if we can find the pack? Sam went to consult the elders on what they had found surrounding the legend."_**

I leapt off the bed, stretching forwards before striding out. Bella followed behind me, padding silently as we left the small house we had made our home temporarily. We had been in it enough for it to feel like our home, anyway. We had bounded out into the forest, with Bella being surprisingly graceful despite it being her first time.

Perhaps her wolf had something to do that. She followed me into the centre of the forest, as someone came barrelling towards us, before skidding to a stop on their heels. I recognised the form and the scent immediately- we only had one chocolate brown furred wolf- Quil.

_**"Quil?"**_

I could see him cocking his head, ears pressed back in confusion. There was something wrong if he couldn't hear me and I couldn't hear him. I hadn't sworn fealty to anyone else, nor had I made my own pack..so why the hell couldn't I hear them when I could hear everyone just fine less then a couple of hours ago.

"_**Jacob? Are these orbs normal to see?"**_

Taking my attention away from Quil, I looked around Bella, trying to see these 'orbs' that she was talking about. But I couldn't. All I could see was a normal forest, sounds of birds and the smell of oak travelling through my nose. Bella, seemingly having picked up on how to sense thoughts (because, let's be honest, it isn't too hard) was feeling confused. To be fair, if I saw something no one else did I'd be pretty alarmed too.

**_"I'm going to try and reach out to one."_**

I saw her reaching out with her furred paw, only that she looked confused. It looked like whatever they were weren't tangible, if her face was anything to go by. She put her paw back on the ground and looked in deep concentration.

As she did whatever she was doing, I turned back to face Quil, who was scratching something uninterperetable into the soft dirt. It looked like nothing more then claw marks...and I can't understand claw marks funnily enough. We were wolves, not some prehistoric tribe.

_**"...I don't know. We can't hear him, and they can't hear us from the sounds of it."**_

I blinked at the sudden joining of a mind, and I turned to look at Bella, who was standing triumphantly, looking proud of herself. I turned towards Quil as Bella flanked me, and I pushed out, touching the edges of Quil's open thoughts, almost to confirm that he was indeed there.

"_**Jake?"**_

_**"Quil?"**_

_**"Jake?"**_

_**"Sam?"**_

_**"Jake!"**_

Bella had been trying to be heard over the other two wolves, which was pretty difficult admittedly because she was naturally quiet and shy. Her wolf seemed to represent this. I don't think she knew what she was doing when she pushed her head under my neck, but it aggravated my wolf to no end.

And not in the aggression sense, more so in the fact that he had suddenly decided that he wanted me to claim her. Great. I swallowed it down before I ended up jumping Bella's bones, and nuzzled her, as we turned to face Quil once more.

_**"So is this why you kept pushing me away then? And Sam wasn't taking you all away from me..he was trying to protect the both of us?"**_

All three of us nodded in sync, and I could still feel Quil's pain at having forced Bella away. In response, he tucked down, almost in a bowing position, before he wagged his tail, inviting Bella for a game of chase. She looked at me, almost as if she was asking for permission.

She didn't need it of course. So, she bounded after Quil who was weaving around in the trees around us. It was sweet to see her playing...carefree and healed, like she had never been mauled by- sorry Bella. I quickly changed my train of thought.

But it was more along the lines of Bella herself. Her fur coat was unique- she had so many different shades on her, so it was like she had part of Sam's coat and part of mine mixed in. Her muzzle was white, but with a smudge of really light brown down the muzzle. Next to her eyes she had two short lines of white, which was then surrounded by the light brown of her face.

Down towards her body, she had a tuft of white on her chest, which was surrounded by a grey which faded into the black splodges on her hind legs. As she onto her fore paws, it smudged into white, with a slight line of brown. Her tail was grey but with a mark of white. It was completely unique to her.

_**"In a pack hierarchy, there are certain roles that we play. Sam, the only black furred wolf in our pack, is the Alpha. He is the leader, and can place injunctions on us, which can restrain us from doing certain actions. I am the Beta, and while Sam can overrules any command that I say, anything that I say must go unless I, or Sam states otherwise. Jared is third, and basically can do the same thing, just with me and Sam overruling whatever he says if we so wish. Make sense so far?"**_

I got a sense of agreement as she continued chasing Quil, keeping up with him despite lack of practise on her part. Not that it was her fault. If she was a bit tighter on her weaving and had a bit more practise then I had no doubt that she could catch him. But as it was, she was enjoying herself, which was all that mattered currently.

Sam and Embry were patrolling the border, as was Collin and Brady. My job currently was to get Bella up to speed and train her...and hopefully not shatter her heart when I have to tell her what it is we actually do. But for now, I was content to let her play around with Quil. That sounded bad..Anyway.

_**"We wolves can 'imprint' on someone. The imprintee is considered to be our soulmate, our other half. It's not like love at first sight, really. It's more like… gravity moves… suddenly. It's not the earth holding you here any more, they do… You become whatever they need you to be, whether that's a protector, or a lover, or a friend.**__**"**_

Bella, seemingly getting pack mentality, nipped my flank as she passed, continuing to pursue Quil. It wasn't like I had anything better to do, so I joined in, expertly manoeuvring through the trees that blurred into one. I cut through a gap between trees and rammed into Quil with as much gentleness as I could, knocking him off course as I followed him. Bella skidded round the corner, claws scrabbling for purchase in the soil, before she pushed forwards following behind me.

I pounced onto Quil who barked in excitement, as Bella jumped over a log and pounced on me, causing a dog pile. I was on Quil, Bella was on me, so we were all making the wolf version of a laugh, which was basically a weird sounding bark. Bella backed off of me, and I backed off of Quil, as we all shook out branches from our fur, and sat down, tongues lolling. We may be human, but we can act like wolves- we could let loose every so often.

_**"Who's imprinted?"**_

_**"Quil, Sam, Jared...and myself."**_

_**"Oh.."**_

Her ears drooped as her tail followed a similar pattern, as I brushed her side with my body. She recoiled away from the action, which hurt my wolf a little bit. I could feel the sadness coming off of her, something I loathed to see from my Imprint.

I knew that she wasn't ready for a relationship yet, but I also knew that her wolf was trying to explain to her that we were soulmates. As a miscommunication between her and her wolf, it led Bella to feeling like such an action would be inappropriate.

_**"Bella...I imprinted on-"**_

She stifled a sob, which came out as a pitiful croon, the pure emotional state of it leaking out in her voice. I felt so bad right now, but I needed to get this out, otherwise she would possibly do something really stupid...and I honestly wouldn't blame her with all the shit she's been through.

_**"I imprinted on you Bella."**_

Her entire chain of thought snapped off abruptly, and her emotions and thoughts were locked off once more. I mentally prodded the spot where her thoughts should occupy, only to be greeted by a wall.

I couldn't puncture it, and when I asked the other's, they couldn't even go near it. So, this was an interesting, albeit worrying, development. Suddenly, I could feel the wall _expand_, covering the entire pack mind with a wall, which wobbled before steadying once more. And her thoughts and feelings sprung back once more, which relieved me to no end.

_**"Sorry...You aren't kidding?"**_

I shook my head as she shoved her head under mine, no doubt scenting me once more. It was an instinctual behaviour, and I didn't really mind.

_**"No."**_

I confirmed, and reached within my mind to the Imprint Bond. While it had been consummated nor officially there yet, it had a strong presence in the back of my mind. I tugged at it gently, and I could feel her surprise at the feeling, before she seemed to tug it back. It must be strong for her as well.

_**"Yes, it is."**_

_**"Jacob, Bella, we found something out about the Legends that we think you should see. I will meet you at your Father's Jacob. If Bella can't phase back, Billy gives her explicit permission to come in the house. It's that important."**_

Now we were both curious, but heeded Sam's call. Quil slunk off into the overgrowth once more as we turned for home, curious as to what they had found out, and Bella's curiosity yearning to know what had happened to her exactly. It was an answer only the legends could tell her, since none of us truly knew ourselves.

* * *

Author's Note

So...two exams down, four to go. One of which, I'm royally screwed for. And it's tomorrow. And I took it as a higher (that's what we call it here, essentially what comes after a GSCE). Sooooooo I'm buggered for maths.

I saw Endgame. No spoilers here but MY HEART IS BROKEN. Feel free to pm me if you want to talk about it in depth, because I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it. Let's just say I'm going to pretend it never exists. Good film but bad film. Isn't that a paradox. Once this fanfic is done, I'll post my other one from the Avengers fandom. I can juggle two stories but not three.

I haven't got much else to talk about otherwise. I should probably get back to studying to try and save myself from this potential failure waiting to happen. Sooooo

I'll see you all on Sunday if you read my other fic, and if not, I'll see you next Thursday!

**Edit Notes 28/5/19 - Paragraphing issues, minor grammar and spelling mistakes.**

~A very stressed Cait


	5. Chapter 5 - Shallow

Tell me somethin', girl  
Are you happy in this modern world?  
Or do you need more?  
Is there somethin' else you're searchin' for?

I'm falling  
In all the good times I find myself  
Longing for change  
And in the bad times I fear myself

Shallow, by Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper, from the A Star is Born soundtrack, released in 2018

* * *

I tried to guide Bella through the steps of phasing, but it seemed like she was too anxious to even attempt phasing back. We had trouble phasing on the first time as well, so it wasn't foreign to us and unique to her. Instead I phased back, pulling on a pair of shorts, before re-emerging, stroking Bella on the back of her neck, relishing in her fur.

She crooned, an odd noise to hear from her, before she followed behind me loyally, keeping my stride easily. As we approached my house, tall and proud in all it's glory, I made sure to open the door wide, to allow Bella enough room to manoeuvre herself in. I knew that she was clumsy at the best of times, but whether the inherent 'werewolf grace' was present in her was another thing entirely.

She completely bypassed the steps, being too small for her paws, and simply leapt up, stretching out briefly before walking in carefully. I could see her nose snuffling as she no doubt committed the scents to memory, before she held her paw out to hold the door open for me. I took it graciously, as she strode in, looking at my father who was sat in the living room in his wheelchair.

"Come here Bella."

His voice was his normal gruff tone, but Bella obliged, padding over somewhat unsure, like she was an invader in the house. Of course, she would never be an invader in this house, even if she did something horrendous. She was my imprint for Christ's sake, and I wasn't pushing her away any more, not after the last year. As he scratched the side of her head, she leaned into his touch, her ears pulled back in a sign of bliss.

"Sorry for keeping you away from Jake, Bells. It was for your own good."

She barked loudly, forming what I would think would translate to an 'it's okay'. She wasn't bearing any grudges with my father, and I think, seeing what I was hiding, she understood. I was glad she wasn't going to maul my dad, because I really didn't want to have to restrain her. That wouldn't be fun.

After dad had finished stroking her, she returned to me, before sitting at my feet, as I patted her on the head. Sam came in not soon after, followed by Sue, Harry and Old Quil. Both me and Bella turned to face the source of the noise, as my dad followed our head movement, not having our keen hearing.

Each gave Bella a pat on the head before settling down on a seat, with Old Quil having a large book in his hands. I knew what this was- the book of Quiluette legends. Old and new, written through the eras. Usually, we weren't allowed to see it, let alone use it, without explicit permission. That honour was saved for the elders of the tribe.

"We were researching into the legend that Jacob and Sam instigated, when trying to save Isabella Swan's life. It took a deep look into the legends, but we managed to find a conclusive answer."

You know it's formal when they refer to us by our full names. Nobody ever called Bella 'Isabella', apart from when it was something important. Speaking of which, her ears pricked up, as she faced Old Quil, who had opened the book to a bookmarked page.

"Taha Aki birthed a daughter, who of which carried on the family line. The blood and the wolf gene carried on through the years, but when one of the daughter's moved from the reservation, the gene became buried, until it never became activated. When a descendant of this line returned to her original homeland, the Alpha of the time imprinted on her, but only by a half degree. While she formerly found love in a Cold One's embrace, she then realised the extent of the Alpha's Imprint. Love and loyalty for the Cold One vanished as she suffered by his hand, allowing the imprint to shine through. She returned to the wolves, battered and near death. The Alpha and Beta came together, and blessed upon her the blood of a wolf, in an attempt to save her life. This blood was enough to activate the hidden gene, which also blessed her with the wolf spirit, and completed the Alpha's imprint."

Bella barked in response, which I could tell was wolf for 'Me!'. So, we now had a definitive answer for why she was a wolf. Because she was a distant ancestor of Taha Aki, the gene was actually present within her. But due to centuries of relatives finding love outside the reservation, the gene was essentially buried beneath her genetic makeup. When we injected our blood into her, it awakened the gene, not only healing her but giving her the power of the wolf.

"We also need to formally recognise the imprint between Isabella and Jacob, so we will hold a bonfire tonight up at the cliffs, where we shall recount our Tribe's stories and begin the ceremony. Are we all in agreement?"

"Yes."

We all intoned, followed by another bark from Bella. I scratched the side of her face, and I could feel her chest rumble in contentedness. Sue and Old Quil stood up slowly, followed by Sam, who was set to go back and phase. I'd have to train Bella, otherwise God knows what could happen otherwise. But, we had something else that took a little bit more priority, something that we couldn't function without. Food.

I know, dramatic right? Unfortunately, this was going to be slightly awkward. Because...since Bella couldn't phase back as of yet...the only way she could actually eat was traditional dog style. Which made me feel incredibly bad, because it felt like we were demoralising her in this way. My stomach rumbled, and considering I had eaten in a much more recent manner to Bella, god knows how hungry she was. I went through to the kitchen and looked for something we could eat, before settling for numerous sandwiches.

We didn't have an Emily on hand unfortunately. So we'd have to make do with my lacklustre cooking ability. Avoiding anything that could upset her stomach in wolf form, I settled for sandwiches, filled with cheese, ham, and some gammon we had left over. I set out two plates, and balanced a bowl of water on the crook of my elbow. I saw Bella had shifted, rubbing herself next to Dad. I knew what she was doing- she was instinctively marking him.

Not as a mate, not _that_ kind of marking, but more of a scent mark, to show that he was protected by her. Like I said, she probably wasn't even aware that she was doing it. I placed the two dishes for Bella on the floor, and let her do her thing. There was no point in stopping her, and it wasn't like she was harming anyone. I sat down and ate part of my sandwich, glancing at Bella who had strode over, and was hesitantly sniffing it.

"Sorry Bells. I don't mean to treat you like a dog, but it's not like you can use a nice and fork in that form."

She yipped before leaning over the water, her tongue delicately lapping at the water. I swear she was a cat, not a wolf. She quickly drained the entirety of the bowl, before turning to the sandwich. She carefully bit into the edge of the sandwich, and tore off a chunk of it, before snarfing it down. She repeated the process with the other sandwich, before she finished, in record time might I add.

Then, she lied down, and dragged the plate over, before carefully putting it on her paw. She then placed her muzzle under it, before flicking it up in a smooth motion, before awkwardly manoeuvring her head so that it was balanced on top. She then got up completely this time, before walking through to the kitchen.

I could hear the sound of a plate moving, and a soft clatter, as it fell into what I assumed was the sink. She strode back in, but I picked up the bowl this time, saving her the effort. Funnily enough, we didn't make our- the wolves clean up after themselves if they were stuck in wolf form. We would do it ourselves, considering the fact that we had manoeuvrable hands, which they didn't possess in wolf form.

"Thanks Bella, but I can put plates away you know."

She gave me the look as if to say 'It's polite', but I just chuckled, as my father followed suit. He patted her on the head as I put the other plates away, before heading out. She followed behind me as I stretched, before shouting behind me:

"I'll see you later Dad!"

I could hear his sound of acknowledgement, as I broke into a run, pulling off my shorts mid stride (Don't ask me how, I had just practised the manoeuvre so often that it was as easy as phasing) before bursting, fur emerging from me, my skeleton changing, and my senses improving. As I landed on all fours, Bella came up by my side, licking my cheek, with a contented rumble in her chest. She shoved her head under mine, and I breathed in her scent, before shaking out my fur.

_**"Come on Bells. It's time to get some training done before the Bonfire tonight." **_

She followed next to me, as we headed deeper into the forest. I could feel her walls covering the entire pack like a safety net, and it was relaxing to say the least. It echoed comfort, and it was draped neatly over the pack mind, like a fabric over a cushion- tight but comfy.

We would have to look into it more later, but training was at the fore front of our mind. Well that, and Charlie, who would have to see Bella at some point. He wasn't going to believe us for much longer, and would demand to see his daughter- but we'd cross that bridge when we came to it.

* * *

**_"Phasing would be a good thing to start with. When you are the wolf, you have to imagine gathering yourself up and pushing it into your human shape, with calmness being the agent to stick it together. Without being calm, it'll just explode right back out." _**

We were sat next to one another, with her walls just around me and her for the minute, shutting out the other minds. It was a nice change..to only have my thoughts open to her. I was so used to hearing the pack invade my thoughts, and I theirs, so it was a nice change of pace.

I had told Bella that I was going to demonstrate the act of phasing back by breathing in deeply, and allowing my thoughts around her to swirl around the forefront of my mind. I knew she could see them, but I also knew that she wasn't ready for a relationship, so the thoughts were just centred around brotherly love for now.

I would wait the world for her if it made her happy. I tried to make the process surrounding the phase as slow as possible so Bella could get a feel for it, rather than the rapid fire phase I had become accustomed to. I envisioned my human body, limp like a puppet with no string. Then I gathered my wolf and pushed it into the limp body, filling it's limbs and self with life again.

There wasn't a set method, some other wolves found it easier to imagine something different- I know that Quil liked to envision a chocolate bar- white chocolate for human, dark for wolf. It was weird, I know. It then sealed itself, and before I knew it, I was a human again.

Naked, but human. Bella had bent down and covered her eyes with her fore paws, as I chuckled lowly. She was so modest- she'd get used to it after a while in the pack. For her sake, I grabbed a pair of shorts before I put them on, before calling out an all clear. She removed her paws from her face, and peaked out at me.

"I'll go find you a shirt and some trousers."

I'm sure we could find something for her to wear, considering that we had Leah. They were about the same size, with Bella being minutely smaller. She was just naturally small, even with the growth spurt. I could understand not wanting to walk around naked with a pack of boys. And...well..if it stopped a possessive growl coming from me then that was just unrelated.

I passed Bella a pair of three quarter jeans and a shirt, before closing my eyes and facing the other way. I waited a couple of minutes, before Bella called out my name. I turned around, greeted by her lean and pale form. She wasn't as pale as she used to be, but she was nowhere near as tanned as we were.

She had sprouted a little bit, probably nearing five eight, rather then the five four she was normally. The clothes that I had borrowed were hanging loosely off of her..so she looked thin as can be. That wasn't good, but I was sure that Sue would have some things to say about that. It would probably involve force feeding.

"To phase _into_ the wolf, it is the opposite. You take the cap off the bottle with anger, and it all bursts out. Let's not try that yet though. We need to get a decent meal down you, before we go see Charlie, and hopefully get you some spare clothes since they are too big for you, and your ones are likely to be on the short side."

She nodded as we headed back to Sam's house, where Emily was no doubt cooking up a storm. I think the two of them would get on well- because who didn't love Emily? She was like the pack mother, feeding yee little wolf cubs with food. Although we were far from little. Or at least, our stomachs were far from little.

With hindsight, we probably should have eaten, then phased, because then we could have ran through some more drills. But hey, live and learn. And it was probably best to take it easy for now, because she overdid it. I could practically see Bella's eyes light up as I picked up the smell of a blueberry muffins. I did love her muffins...yum..

"Let me introduce you to Emily. She's the pack mother, and Sam's imprint. She's sweet. Word of warning though, don't look at her scars, it makes Sam self conscious."

She blinked at me in confusion, but didn't press. She'd find out eventually, but for now meeting the other Imprints and meeting some of the others belonging to the pack was important. Especially if Edward was after her, like we had been led to believe by his actions so far.

* * *

Sam had sent out a couple of the Pack to investigate the Cullen house, trying for any scents pertaining to Edward. If _he_ was willing to attack someone he supposedly loved, what about the rest of them? But by the time they had got there, crossing the treaty line with ease since they shattered it, only to find the scents dead.

And not Leech dead- there wasn't a scent of sugar and bleach anywhere in sight. Embry, Jared, and Paul had entered the house (using slightly questionable means, but they hadn't damaged anything. We had better things to do then explain to Charlie why we had broken into the Cullens house.), only to find no cars in the garage, no furniture in the rooms.

Bella had told us that there was furniture in there, and that they usually had stuff set aside for her. But the house was pristine, untouched. I get they were leeches, but even they would have to leave some trace. Even if it was just a bit of dust, at least it would look like it was lived in. The house was just surreal.

I had yet to break it to Bella that the Cullens had left, thinking that perhaps it was best to let her meet Emily and the others first. I was going to tell her however. Whatever damage that it cost to her mental state, I was hoping that the feeling of pack would help her through it.

Severing ties with the Leeches outright would do nothing but harm her, and we also didn't want to push our opinions on her. Not like a certain _Leech_ did. We would just be there for her, and let her come to her own conclusions, which I didn't doubt would be good for them. When someone you love beats you up and their family ditches you, well, it's not the greatest feeling one can receive.

Speaking of which, Bella had dutifully not mentioned Emily's scars, pointedly ignoring them for that matter. She just shook her offered hand and introduced herself shyly. Emily, being the pack mother she was, rapidly embraced the younger girl (not by much though) before nattering on about muffins and other inconsequential things. I could easily see what she was doing- trying to bring some normalcy to her life.

Well, as much as you can get when you become a werewolf and your ex is out to kill you. Okay perhaps that wasn't worded very well, but at least I hadn't said it to her directly. I had a little tact. Emily had set a tray of muffins on the table, and I could practically tell that Bella was starving. If I was starving and I'd practically eaten my weight in food for breakfast, Bella having only eaten part of a slice of toast, was running on just about empty.

After she had been fed and watered, we were planning to see good ole Charlie, who, while pissed that we had pushed away Bella, was just glad that we were talking again. He had always liked me more then the Leech, presumably because he had known me since I was young. A wry smile came to my face as I thought of Charlie learning that not only had his daughter dated a Vampire, but she was friends with, and had become, werewolves. He would probably faint.

* * *

"Hey Char-Dad."

Bella called out uneasily, pushing the door open with a gentleness that was known to her, and a degree of caution. We had included her house to be within the patrol route- we couldn't risk Edward and or the Cullens coming for Charlie in an attempt to get to Bella. We knew how self sacrificing she could be. Charlie, dressed in his usual Chief of Police uniform, poked his head out of the kitchen, a smear of red on the top of his moustache.

"Bella!"

He cried out, gruffly, as he hastily wiped the top of his mouth. Bella smiled softly, as she moved towards him, before sniffing the air experimentally. There was no smell of leech, other then a faint lingering smell that originated from her bedroom (which was from when he used to 'watch her sleep'. God, that's creepy). What _was_ prominent however, was the smell of burning.

"Dad, I think you might be burning something."

As quick as you could say Leech, Charlie had half turned, and practically sprinted into the kitchen with a speed that would put us werewolves to shame. Bella had been understanding with why we couldn't tell Charlie about the secret, so she was going to stay here and attempt to sneak out every night to join patrol when she had it.

She could stay over at mine some days- Billy would be a bit more..understanding, considering that he knew the secret. She could also move in with us at some point, but it was ill advised with all that she was going through at this point. I wasn't about to add more things to her already expanding plate. Heh. That was a funny little metaphor.

We peaked our head around the corner, with the kitchen looking much like Emily's did when we had at it- pots and pans everywhere, stacked high above us, the bin full with what looked like tons of inedible food, and barren cupboards filled with...well...nothing. Charlie picked up the frying pan and spun it around experimentally, charred to unrecognition, and defying the laws of gravity. Bella sighed, shaking her head in mock exasperation.

"I'll cook you some pasta bake Dad.."

She scavenged through the cupboards before freezing and turning to look towards Charlie, who was looking embarrassed, a light blush tingeing his cheeks.

"Dad...what happened to the pasta?"

"Cremated to a bottom of a pan."

"Cheese?"

"Grilled to non-existence."

_ "Flour?"_

"Made a massive smoke cloud when it fell out of the cupboard."

_ "Eggs?!"_

She was sounding desperate now, and I tried my best to mask a chuckle. I could see why Bella cooked- because Charlie really couldn't cook- although he had a spectacular talent of cremating food. I'll give him that. Charlie waved the pan in demonstration, and Bella sighed, shaking her head with mock shame.

"Pizza. We'll get pizza. And I'll give you some lessons on _how_ to cook."

Charlie looked sufficiently chastised, as she picked up her phone, presumably having the pizza place on speed dial. I began to try and declutter the kitchen slightly, beginning to wash the dishes as Charlie dried them. We would have it back in working order soon enough- although perhaps Charlie shouldn't go near it for a while.

* * *

Author's Note

Countryyyy roadssss, take me hoooommmeee, to the bed...I claimed my ownnnnnn

In case you couldn't tell from my introduction to the Author's note, I am absolutely, positutely, still knackered. Buttt I only have two more exams, thank god. Anyway, that's enough of that, I don't write to annoy everyone.

I watched the Spider-Man: Far from Home trailer. Broke my heart all over again. Also find it hilarious that Tom Holland of all people did the Endgame spoiler warning. Irony at it's best.

I think that's it for now, other then thank you everyone for all the support I've received for this story. I may not sound like it, but I'm honestly inspired by all the support. So, thank you!

See you next week/Sunday

~A very inspired yet drowsy Cait


	6. Chapter 6 - Fight Song

And all those things I didn't say  
Wrecking balls inside my brain  
I will scream them loud tonight  
Can you hear my voice this time?

This is my fight song  
Take back my life song  
Prove I'm alright song  
My power's turned on  
Starting right now I'll be strong  
I'll play my fight song  
And I don't really care if nobody else believes  
'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me

Fight Song, by Rachel Platten, from the album Fight Song, released in 2014

* * *

A couple of hours had passed, and it was time for us to go to the bonfire. I had left Bella with Charlie, feeding the man and trying to get the house back in order. I had returned home in the rabbit, tossing clothes out of my cupboard in an attempt to find something formal. The whole pack would phase at some point, but I'd like to make a good impression on her father (who thought we were going out on a date,)

Considering that a leech was the last person to do that, I didn't think it was much competition. Then again, said Leech mauled her (which Charlie didn't know about), and also made an incredibly bad impression on him afterwards. Plus, it wasn't Charlie's fault that he was momentarily stunned by the supernatural, especially since he wasn't aware of it.

I ended up picking a green-brown top, followed by a black denim overcoat, and navy blue jeans. I didn't both trying to tame my hair because much like my wolf side, it was wild and untameable. That wasn't me being inappropriate either. It was just me in the house at the minute- Dad had gone up with the other Elders, leaving me in charge of ferrying Bella, and trying not to stuff up the evening or break my imprints heart.

I just had to work on tact..and I should be fine. Concealing my thoughts in wolf form should be easy enough, but ironically human form was much harder. Bella was adept at reading my facial expressions...and the bond. After tonight it would strengthen, becoming almost unbreakable. It would be more prominent in the back of our minds, and it would be less of a struggle to sense what the other was feeling.

It would bring us closer together, and the thought of the bond solidifying made my wolf rumble in glee. It was a possessive little bugger wasn't it. I wasn't going to tell Bella that though, because I didn't want to worry her. Nor did I particularly want to inform her that my wolf wanted to pin her down and claim her, that my wolf acted like a large overgrown puppy when it came to her, or that I would literally die for her.

I wouldn't be happy if I hurt her. I treasured her too much. Anyhow, I stopped concentrating on my inner thoughts, instead glancing at the clock and realising that it was time for me to leave. I didn't want to be late- even if that was incredibly unlikely considering it took twenty minutes to get to Bella's house, and I had over forty to get there.

But anything could happen in that time frame- I could get stuck in traffic, the rabbit could break down, Bella could be expecting me to get there early- she might be expecting me to be late, would she prefer it if I was on time? Perhaps she was thinking we needed to run in wolf form? Perhaps she wasn't expecting that? What if she didn't want to go with me- or if she denied the imprint- I would do anything for her, even if it broke my he-

"JAKE!"

I jumped and twisted, growling out of instinct when I saw Embry leaning against the door. He approached me placatingly, as he was dressed up casually much like me. He chuckled, as he smiled, as I calmed down from my internal panic.

"Chief reckoned you would be panicking- and try to jump ship towards her house too soon. You've got fifteen minutes Jake, chill out for a bit."

I sat down on the sofa as Embry went through to the kitchen and came out with two glasses of water. I think I'd need something stronger then that...even if it wouldn't get me drunk. Damned metabolism. We would have to have like twelve drinks to get mildly intoxicated, and that's with it being strong. It's a bit depressing, because most of us who were younger had never been drunk as a result.

"Jake, seriously, relax. You make me want to bow down in submission. Do you want Bella to see you like that?"

That effectively snapped me out of it, as I concentrated on reigning in my presence. I most definitely didn't want Embry to feel like that, nor did I want Bella to see me like that. I'm _sure _it would go down well if I accidentally imposed my authority on her.

Embry's posture relaxed, no longer tense and ready to spring. He grinned in response to me as he passed me a water, and I took it graciously. It was funny how he was serving me and being hospitable in my house. I felt like I should've been the one offering him a drink, but I was too busy having a meltdown. It was so easy to me-

"Jacob. You won't mess it up. That girl right there? She loves you. It may be as a brother, but she still loves you."

He sighed, before taking a sip of his water, shaking his head in exasperation. I looked at the clock, thinking that at least fifteen minutes had passed. In reality, only five minutes had slithered past. I urged it to hurry up, because I was anxious to see Bella, and anxious to get there. Not even mentioning the little handcrafted box sitting in my pocket.

And before you think I'm jumping the gun, no it _isn't _a wedding ring. As much as I'd like to marry her, it was a bit, just a _bit_, early. No, instead it was a little charm bracelet I had fashioned for her. Made out of a silver, with a looping chain. At the minute it only had one little charm- a wolf that I had whittled. I had taken time to etch her markings onto it, much like her wolf had.

I had another one on me- a small metallic heart with our initials engraved into it. Should she accept my imprint, it would represent our love for one another. If she didn't..well, I'd give it to her anyway, just have it represent our friendship. I sipped my water once more, before trying to stop myself fidgeting. Embry looked up at the clock before sighing and waving his hand.

"Shooo! Go get your imprint."

I didn't need to be told twice, leaping out of my seat, grabbing my keys and bouquet of flowers, before bolting out of the door, trusting Embry to lock up behind him. With a small oomph, I threw myself into the seat of my rabbit, slammed the door shut, placed the flowers on the passenger seat, before I switched on the ignition, hearing the engine rumble to life with a steady purr.

I placed my hand on the passenger seat, looking out of the back windscreen, before carefully reversing out of the drive, trying to focus on obeying speed limits and not breaking the law. I'm sure I'd make a _great _impression if I was to get caught speeding.

* * *

So, I had a problem leaving at a respectable, not half an hour early time. Now I had a problem getting out the damned vehicle. The clock on the dash read 7:25, meaning I was five minutes early. Do I just knock on the door now? Or do I wait a bit? Would I make a better impression chapping at bang on the time agreed? What if Charlie saw me waiting outside like a weirdo?

That wouldn't go well. Not at all. I tried craning my ears in an attempt to listen out for her, but from this distance all I could pick up was Charlie's heartbeat and him presumably eating something. At least, that's what it sounded like.

I shook my head, before clasping the bouquet and opening the door softly, to contrast with how I had opened it earlier. It would probably need more hinges.. I closed it, locked it, before approaching the place I had called my second home until months earlier. I shook my head again, unwilling to linger on such thoughts again, knowing that it would more likely put a dampener on our evening.

In a couple of strides, I was at the front door, acutely concentrating on not accidentally breaking open the door. I had done that quite a few times when I had first phased..because funnily suddenly having super strength was something difficult to get used to

. I knocked, and could hear Charlie standing up, with a clutter of plates, the mumbling of some commentator on the TV, and a few footsteps. The door opened slowly, allowing the light within to shine on me, illuminating my face.

"Hey Jake. Come in. Bella will be down soon."

Talk about a man of few words. Anyway, accepting his advice, I came in and leaned against the kitchen side, as Charlie slunk back into the main room. I tried my luck again, and craned my ears in an attempt to listen out for Bella. I could easily hear her footsteps walking around upstairs, hearing a singular spray of perfume (I could smell it from down here, but it smelled nice, and didn't obscure her natural scent.

My wolf appreciated that), the steady heartbeat of Bella, and a few footsteps. It took Bella all of three minutes before she came down the stairs, and I moved to meet her halfway. She was wearing a forest green dress, which went down to her knees. It had probably been longer before her 'growth spurt' but she had hardly had time to even attempt buying any new clothes.

Plus, Bella _hated _shopping, and that was just a well known fact by now. Don't get me wrong- she still looked beautiful. She could wear a bin bag and she would still be beautiful. Over the top she had a black cardigan going over it, thin, which wouldn't have done much to keep her warm. I say, 'wouldn't have' but having a temperature like ours had it's perks.

Aka- it took a _lot _for us to feel cold. Bella, in true Bella fashion, tripped on the second last step, so I lunged with the reaction time I had been gifted with and managed to catch her, her slim form weighing almost nothing. I passed her the slightly crushed flowers, which she took graciously, still lingering in my secure handhold.

I was grateful that he had not noticed Bella's weight loss, nor any other changes- we were just lucky that he was almost oblivious to his surroundings. Surprising, considering he's a cop. Bella blushed but got back to her feat and out of my arms. A part of me wanted her to stay there, but I denied that part of my mind.

Not willingly though, just out of necessity. She shuffled into the kitchen, before getting out a vase, filling it with water and placing the bouquet in there, spreading the flowers out before putting them on the windowsill.

"My baby girl's already been hurt Jake. If you hurt her, I'll get my gun out- but I'll give you a three second head start."

I didn't have the heart to tell him that the bullets wouldn't do much in the long run, but I _could _verify that I wouldn't hurt her- minus the whole, I would physically be in pain if I hurt her, and I lack the ability to do so. Bella was my Imprint- I would rather die myself then hurt her, and I could make that evident.

"You have my word Charlie that I won't hurt her. I'll bring her back when we're done- and should we stay at mine, I'll let you know."

We wouldn't be home early, or at least not until tomorrow, that's for sure. Considering we had a bonfire to get through, but also a pack run and a pack huddle, a large chunk of time would be taken, leading us into the later stages of tomorrow. But at least she wasn't on patrol until she was fully trained, and that could take anywhere from several weeks to a couple of days.

It depended on how much time she could put aside for it, and how much we could fit in around school, which was starting back up again in a week. We had been lucky that the _incident _had occurred during the holidays..otherwise it would have been difficult to explain. Anyway, now wasn't the time to dwell on that.

"The last boy who said that lied Jacob, but I can find it in my heart to trust again- just don't make me regret it."

I mean, if you want to be technical, it wasn't a boy...but again, can't tell him that. The less he knows, the safer he is. Period. I nodded towards Charlie and looped my arm through the incredibly red Bella. As we were striding out the door, still not having spoken a sentence to one another, Charlie called out from the other room

"Separate beds kids!"

And...great. Not only was _Bella _blushing, but a red tinge was also adorning my cheeks. The earth was looking incredibly interesting right about now...oh! Is that a shovel? How long do you think it would take to dig a hole? I unlocked the rabbit, and walked round to Bella's side, opening the door, and she smiled at me before sliding in. Making sure all limbs were safely inside, I closed the door, before walking round to my own side, getting in.

"Sorry about that."

She apologised as I turned the ignition, stretching round so that I could check if I was clear to back out. Seeing that we were safe to do so, I backed out, before bringing the car up to speed and heading towards La Push. I couldn't help but chuckle; She was apologising for something Charlie said when it wasn't even her fault.

And it wasn't the end of the world in any case- sure, I was dying of embarrassment, and sure, he was expecting us to marry each other, but it was no different then what our two old men were predicting back before Bella moved to Phoenix.

"It's okay, Bells. It was just Charlie having his fun- Dad will do the same later, after the Bonfire."

I put the rabbit into gear, as I watched the road carefully for any Volvo's or conspicuous cars that could belong to the Cullens. I'd probably smell them before I saw them though, depends on how the wind blows. I wasn't exactly planning on informing them about our Imprint- that she may or may not accept- because as much as I would like to hold it over his head, I didn't want to incite another attack against her, even if we would be ready with bated fangs and a hunger for vengeance.

"So what does this Bonfire involve?"

She was the utter embodiment of calm, staring out of the window with reddened cheeks and brown eyes staring at the forest scenery as we entered the outskirts of La Push. I turned the indicator as we turned into the small, untarmacked road that lead up to the cliffs, the wheels turning over the small divots and the engine rumbling through the silence of the forest.

"We meet up with the tribe elders: That's Harry, Sue, Billy and Old Quil, the Imprints, and the Pack. The Elders open the ceremony with the tale of Taha Aki and the third wife, before going through the ceremony to see whether you accept the Imprint. If you do, then we have a shared drink together, before we all phase and howl together in symphony. After, usually the Imprinted couple lead the pack and Imprints on a joint hunt- normally a wolf that has an Imprint having them on their back, but since we are both wolves we will just run together- running throughout the night, before we head back and sleep as a Pack."

I had neglected to tell Charlie that part about how we never had any intention to return, but I would smooth it over before we phased. I'd rather not have to deal with a bullet right about now, considering it would put a real dampener on the evening and hurt like a bitch. Would it kill me? No. Would it hurt? Like getting smacked by a car at 120kph.

Bella nodded in acknowledgement, as the rabbit's engine struggled with the uphill slope I was forcing it along. It coughed and spluttered with the strain, and I made another mental note to replace it with the one I had sitting in the garage- the one I had been intending to put in before this happened.

"How are you coping with all of this?"

I asked, trying to make sure she was as comfortable as possible. I would be surprised if she was 100% okay, considering all of the shit she's been through, from her former love attacking her violently, to suddenly being forced into becoming a wolf without any consent, with a weird ass ability (her words, not mine) that she could control.

Adding on the fact that she had to keep this away from Charlie, deal with the Imprint (my wolf mourned at the thought of it being a burden) _and _that part of the wolf thing was to hunt down Leeches should they invade our land or threaten Forks, then it was a fuck ton to have on your plate. And these were just _psychological _factors, if you were ignoring the physical ones, like the increased appetite and temperature.

If Charlie found out that she was 'running a fever' that high, it would be a very quick run to the nearest Hospital, which would be a fun thing to explain. But hey, 100% immunity to all disease with only a slight weakness to Vampire venom was a positive thing, right?

"I'm...coping. It's a lot of things to deal with at once..Edw-Leech attacking me..it hurts me a lot, both physically and mentally. I trusted him- thought he was the one, and he went and betrayed me like that without a second thought. I_want_ to hurt him, to hurt him like he did me, and my wolf agrees wholeheartedly. And I would, if he was in-front of me. But then the thought of me being like him springs to mind, and I can't do it. I can't bring myself to be like him- I'd rather not have any justice then have to stoop to his level. Then there's the whole wolf thing..the concept of an Imprint is new to me, but despite that I find myself liking it, and the whole sensation of having the pack and La Push as family. It's like, in my mind, a switch that perceived the Cullens as family was switched off- because who leaves someone they supposedly like to be hurt by their loved one- and one for La Push was switched on. The imprint..it scares me at the same time, because the last time I allowed someone to know how I felt, trusted them with my emotions and thoughts, he- it, threw it in my face, yet the fact that you are always here for me, looking after me, protecting me, it brings me joy and makes me feel safe. Then there's Charlie, who I hate to lie to, but I understand that it's to keep him safe. The feeling of lying to him is nothing new to me, because I constantly lied to him..whether it be about James, or the fact that Edward wasn't a boy at all, but a Vampire."

She was pouring her heart and soul out to me, and I wanted nothing more then to encompass her in my arms, and tell her that for as long as our-the Pack lived, we would not let him, or the rest of his _Coven _near her. Deciding to not mention that, I instead settled for continuing to listen to her, just making a couple of comments about what she'd said.

"You don't have to call them 'Leeches' you know, not for our benefit. If you want to call them by their names, then feel free, because you knew them for a long time and we can't expect you to suddenly call them something different. All we ask is that you do things only if you are comfortable with it, and not because we demand it of you- and I can imagine how hypocritical that sounds, considering we can use injunctions, but we try not to use them if we don't have to. And I won't tell you that I know how you feel, because not only is that pretty condescending, but because I don't. I've never been in that situation, but I can imagine what it is like. I may not be able to promise that you will never have to deal with them again, _but, _I can promise that if it occurs, you will have all of us standing behind you, and we will _not _let them harm you again. We look out for our own."

By the time we were up the hill, I turned left, straightening out the car, before twisting back and peering out the back window, carefully reversing into the space, which was occupied by Sue's truck and Jared and Kim's black focus, which I had improved with a better engine and had worked extensively on it.

I did it for most of the Pack's cars, should they ask, because it was something I enjoyed doing it. I sometimes even made call outs to some Reservation members, if they couldn't afford or make it to a garage. Satisfied I had parked, I switched off the engine, before turning towards Bella, resting my feet just off the pedal.

I retrieved the box out of my pocket, which held the charm bracelet, and I offered it to her, which she accepted, looking at it as if it had personally insulted her. I knew that she was somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of marriage, and personally, after having her parents divorce when she was young, I didn't blame her, so I was quick to relieve her that it wasn't a wedding ring.

"Open it Bella- I promise it isn't what you think it is."

She opened the lacquered box, and inside the oak wood, sat the charm bracelet, which she gasped upon seeing and carefully opened, the charm dangling off and twirling. She turned to look at me, her eyes watering, and I instantly thought I had upset her. I'm so stupid! It didn't occur to me that she might not be comfortable with receiving a gift. But then she surprised me by continuing to look at me, as she fiddled with the clasp.

"Is this...for me?.."

I nodded in relief as I offered my assistance with putting it on. She offered out her right wrist, and I unhooked it deftly, despite the size of the clasp compared to my giant hands. But it wasn't much different to working on the tiny parts of an engine. Deftness and finesse were two things that were needed. After I clasped it, she reached over the car and hugged me tightly, before backing away almost as fast. She was bright red, before she smiled and made to go out of the car.

"Thank you Jake...it means quite a lot."

I nodded, once again wanting to scoop her in my arms but quashing the feeling immediately. She wasn't ready- but I could wait forever for her to be ready. As long as she was happy, I was happy, and I would wait forever if she needed me to. I was content to just be her friend at the minute- as that was all she needed.

As someone once said 'The worst part of life is waiting. The best part of life is having someone worth waiting for..'. See, I can be wise when I want to be. And that quote was no truer spoken then I in regards to Bella. Apparently, imprinting made me poetic. Who would've guessed?

* * *

Author's Note

And here's chapter 6 guys! In Chapter 7, we will actually cover the Bonfire, and perhaps further go into how Bella is acclimatising to her new situation. Can't make any promises about her adapting though, as my methodology surrounding writing is to build upon the original, and see how it goes.

Nothing exciting has really happened this week..not in regards to me anyway. Writing, revising, walking, sleeping, reading- pretty much my schedule. It's also pretty boring, but I am enjoying my time on study leave, even if it can get tedious sometimes. Writing..well, I guess the question would be, what fandom am I not writing for? Twilight? Check. Assassin's Creed? Check. Kingsman? Check, even if it's a one shot. Avengers? Check, the story to be published after I finished EITNIP or this, whatever one comes first. So, I humbly present thee, my schedule.

Anyway, I'd better get too it. But first, a question. What are you most looking forwards to this year? A Video Game? Film? Has what you were looking forward to already passed? For me? Either the new Pokemon Game, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Avengers: Endgame, which was _definitely _worth waiting for.

Without further adieu, I had better get back to writing.

**Edit Notes 28/5/19 - Grammar Issues, paragraphing amended.**

~Cait


	7. Chapter 7 - I Will Wait

Now I'll be bold  
As well as strong  
And use my head alongside my heart  
So take my flesh  
And fix my eyes  
A tethered mind free from the lies

I Will Wait, Mumford and Sons, from the album Babel, released in 2012

* * *

There had been some discussion over where Bella should sit during the ceremony. We had a specific way to sit, due to the way it had been done back in my Grandfather's day. And since the Tribe was incredibly reluctant to both change traditions and the way of doing things (a trait we had picked up, as evidenced by our hatred of the Leeches even _before_ they broke the treaty) we were left relying on the way things used to be done, with a lack of modernisation.

Each of the Elders made the four points of a circle: the twelve, three, six, and nine o'clock positions respectively. Then the pack filled out the gaps, each Imprinted wolf having the Imprintee next to them on the left. And while some might think that it didn't matter, hierarchy was an incredibly important thing. Even if it was a ceremonial thing. You may also happen to think that Bella, as this was an imprint recognition ceremony, she should sit next to me as an Imprint-_my _Imprint.

God that was weird to say. The only problem with that was that she was also being recognised into the Pack, as a wolf. She would be running as a wolf, leading as a wolf, and howling as a wolf. So, should she not sit as a member of the Pack if she was spending so much time as a wolf? Should she not sit with the pack in formation as a representation of her wolf?

As the true Alpha's mate? As I took my place next to my father, who was occupying the twelve o'clock position, and the other wolves and imprints took their places, Bella looked lost, like a deer trapped in headlights. I made to get up and to go help her- anything to wipe that look off her face- but Sue had apparently noticed the look, and gestured towards my left, causing Seth to shuffle up a bit in an attempt to make room.

Fortunately, despite the growth spurt and normally common stature of our wolves, she was still on the short side, meaning there was more than enough room for her to sit down next to me, seeming tense and rigid. Could she be nervous? She hadn't had much time to even talk with those within the Pack, outside our game of chase with Quil during the whole 'I can't hear your mind' fiasco, so it wouldn't surprise me. They could be pretty intimidating.

Wanting to make a gesture to relax her, but not to further unnerve her, I settled for wrapping my arm around her waist, trying to wrap her with my scent. Instinctively, I knew what I was doing, but the human part of me, was telling me that this was no way to behave, that it was wrong, I was weird, I should be ashamed.

However, I cared for more for Bella, and since her posture had lowered somewhat, no longer as rigid as a rod, I continued to do it, ignoring the human part of my mind and focusing on the wolf side. A management I was used to, and a mindset that could come in handy, provided I _didn't_ let my wolf impose a challenge for the position of Alpha.

I had a good enough control usually though, and my wolf was far too busy on Isa. Dad wheeled over, straightening himself up in his wheelchair, and the hushed voices silenced, as he peered over the sticks and tinder set up for a fire, and finally opened the ceremony. The one that would either cement or doom my status as an Imprint.

"The Quiluette's have always been a small tribe from the beginning. Known for our skills with whaling, and our close relations with the Makah tribe, we still kept to ourselves, rarely reaching outwith our own tribe. Despite this, we've always had magic in our blood."

He threw a flaming bit of tinder into the non-lit fire, causing it to flare up in a magnificent hue of orange and red, blazing and smoke spiralling into the dark night sky. The stars were shining brightly, but no constellations were visible due to the faint fog lining the blue sky.

Everyone's attention was on my father as he continued to tell the tale, his voice commanding and helping to bring us further into the tale. It was just as mystical as the first time I had heard it, and I had heard it many times since.

"We were great spirit warriors...shapeshifters, that transform into the powerful wolf. This enabled us to scare off our enemies, and protect our tribe."

Images of Bella having been attacked by the Leech flowed through my head as I winced- that should be amended..it allowed us to _attempt _to protect our tribe. And yes, while Bella may not have been born into the tribe, the minute she both became a wolf and an Imprint, she was just a member of our tribe as I was, as Embry was, as anyone was. I turned to look at Bella, and she was looking, brown eyes wide, at the fire, transfixed and mystified.

"One day our warriors came across a creature...It looked like a man, but it was hard like stone and cold as ice."

Once again, Edward- as a comparison to the story- appeared in my head, as we, the Pack, circled surrounded him, but in this version of events, we managed to take chunks of his stone-cold flesh out, exact revenge upon him for the deed he committed. Bella, looking graceful and confident in her wolf form, lunged towards his neck, biting it successfully and tugging it clean off, ruby-red eyes staring into the dirt, the venom sinking deep into the earth.

"Our warriors' sharp teeth, finally tore it apart...But only fire would completely destroy it."

The flick of a lighter, being launched onto Edward's headless torso fell onto the floor in a kneeling position. Like a dog hungry for its food, the fire eagerly spread up Edward's body, reducing it to ashes. Following suit, his head was next to go, until there was no more of the Leech to be recognised, and the smell of musky ash and thick heat being the only things to litter the sky.

"They lived in fear, the Cold Man, was not alone. And they were right. She took her vengeance out on the village. Our elder chief, Taha Aki, was the only spirit warrior left to save the tribe after his son was killed."

I could clearly envision what I thought Taha Aki would look like, and I could all too easily imagine what losing someone would be like. If it was anything like what I had felt when I lost my mother... I could feel the bursting rage like it was my own, and I had to double-check that I was still wearing my own skin, and not that of the wolf's.

"Taha Aki's Third Wife could see that he would lose… The Third Wife was no magical being, no special powers, but one. Courage."

I could almost envision the Third Wife wielding the knife..and I could even project Bella's face onto the Third Wife, staring down, without fear, a Vampire, which Edward had taken the place off.

Ruby red eyes once again met chocolate brown, as she charged towards Edward, before plunging the knife into her chest, causing the scent of coppery blood to linger all over the immediate area. If I had my way, she would never be in that situation...plus she could defend herself, unlike the Third Wife. I'm overthinking this, aren't I?

"The Third Wife's sacrifice distracted the Cold Woman, long enough for Taha Aki to destroy her. She saved the tribe. Over time, our enemies have disappeared. But one remains...The Cold Ones."

We wouldn't have to worry about the Cullens...especially with how we could attack now that they had essentially burned the treaty into ashes...much like their body would be. We would fight any leech that would encroach into our territory, acting with extreme prejudice, especially if it was the Cullens or any non 'vegetarian'.

That didn't mean that 'Vegetarian' vampires were safe either. If there was one thing we were good at, other then whaling, it would definitely be holding grudges. They say an elephant never forgets, but perhaps it should be a wolf never forgets.

"Our magic awakens when they near. And we sense it now, we feel the threat in our blood. Something terrible is coming. And we must all be ready. All of us."

Dad paused, before gesturing for me and Bella to go into the middle of the circle, the blazing fire at our backs as we turned and stared into one another's eyes.

"But that can be forgotten for one day. Today we gather to celebrate the union between Jacob Ephraim Black and Isabella Marie Swan, by that of the highest order- the Imprint. When Isabella was forced to obtain her own version of our magic, she was granted the form as such. When her wolves eyes and Jacob's wolves met for the first time, the two of them instantly connected in a way that no other can. Now, we gather today to either confirm the existence of the Imprint or deny the Imprint. Now, Isabella Marie Swan, Female Beta in the La Push pack, daughter of Charles Swan, do you accept the Imprint between yourself and Jacob Ephraim Black?"

My heart was beating harder than a drummer at gunpoint, and I was literally sweating. I was still gazing into her eyes, and my wolf wanted to pounce on her right this minute, even if Bella wasn't ready for that. I was too busy concentrating on my inner turmoil that I almost missed her answer, lost in the depths of her eyes.

"I do."

Now my heart was doing cartwheels. She _actually_ accepted. I was her Imprint, and she was mine. I had to fight the urge to launch myself towards her, as I impatiently waited for Dad to get to the part where I said 'I do'. At least then I could justify the action of wrapping myself around her, to cover myself in her scent, and her, mine.

"...accept the Imprint between yourself and Isabella Marie Swan?"

"I do."

Dad smiled as we grabbed each other's hands, wanting to snuggle into her chin. The fire was almost blazing upwards, and I was convinced that it was going to make smoke signals in the dark blue sky.

"Then by the power in me as the chief of the La Push tribe, I deem the Imprint complete. Now turn away from your Imprint, walk into the bushes and phase into your wolf. Once the eyes of the two wolves meet once more, shall the Imprint be irreversible."

I forced myself to let go of Bella as I turned away from her, striding into the bordering forest with a confident stride. I had not much else to fear- Bella had accepted both me and my Imprint, and I was as happy as Claire on a sugar rush. Although Quil didn't quite know I had given her the sugar in the first place... Safely obscured by the trees, I stripped off, not wanting to ruin any more of my clothes.

It did leave me wondering about the bracelet I had given her..while I was 90% sure it would survive her phasing (if it didn't, it was easy enough to repair), she would probably feel more comfortable taking it off beforehand. Unbottling the bottle and releasing my anger, I underwent a rapid phase, my bones rearranging, senses enhancing, and my entire mentality changing.

The Pack Mind was silent, with only the silent wall that was Bella being present. She probably hadn't realised that her wall- which we really had to figure out- had snapped back around her mind. Upon hearing my father's soft 'okay' ring out, I walked back into the circle with four legs and a new coat. Bella's luscious coat, in all its shiny, wonderful glory, greeted me, as we once again met each other, her warm eyes meeting my own ones.

It was like I had imprinted all over again, her wolf form burning forever into the back of my mind. I could lose everything and yet still be happy if I was with her, and I committed everything about her to memory. Her unique splotched coat, her shy yet protective nature... I wished that all of that could overwrite the horrific image of how I had found her.

Even for the sake of my own happiness, if I had to give that up to change the way she had been treated and left for dead by Edward, I would. I knew that for a fact. Sue had gotten up after me and Bella had met again, presumably to collect our clothes, which she would no doubt carry back to my house. From where the once weakened bond laid, it suddenly strengthened, and I was invaded by feelings that weren't my own.

The best way to explain it was like this: before it was a single, thin piece of thread. Good enough to hold things together, but weak in itself. Anything heavy on it, and it would snap. In that sense, the bond was weak, and if you wanted to sense your Imprint's emotions, you would have to concentrate to the point where it would give you a headache. It simply wasn't strong enough to constantly send that to your brain. But now, it was thicker, like a heavy-duty rope.

You could lift extremely heavy things with it, keep things together, and it wouldn't snap under pressure. It was tightly binding. Now, that was what our bond was like. In the back of my mind, and in the back of Bella's, emotions from our counterpart were constantly flooding into our minds. If you didn't focus on it, it sort of faded into the background, a small hum that you knew was there, but easy to ignore. At this stage, although difficult, it could be broken, albeit not without pain to both sides.

Once it was broken, it was irreversible, and it would cause immense pain to the wolf in question, almost soul-destroying. That was why it was rarely done. Now, once it was consummated..there was no undoing it. Nothing could break it. Not even in death. It was the final step, the final sign of trust and adoration between the true Imprints, a bond that would forever be there.

If we go back to my rope analogy, think of the thick rope, just coated in the strongest rock known to man. Now imagine that said man didn't have the tools we have now. It results in an unbreakable rope. Anyway, I nuzzled her before we both threw our heads back and howled, a joint, united chorus filled with unmistakable sounds of bliss and joy. From both sides of the forest, the rest of the pack approached us, before throwing their own heads back and following our lead, a choir-like howl shattering the melancholic silence that had lingered before.

* * *

It was quite comical to see Emily and Kim cling on to their respective wolves back. Little Claire was too young to travel through the night, plus even if Quil went slow there was a good chance that she could fall off. So it was much safer to just leave her out of it until she was a little older. She did, however, come to the Bonfires, because she loved to hear the 'fairy tales' and also loved to be near Quil.

Due to her age, she didn't quite understand what an Imprint exactly was, but she tended to linger near Quil during such meetings. For her sake, we would introduce her to Bella at a later date, presumably in the morning sometime. She liked to see everybody else's 'special one' (her term for Imprint), and quite liked to give them her seal of approval. She was adorable in that way.

After we had finished our song, the pack mind was filled with hustle and bustle, various congratulations and other meaningful phrases being thrown our way. It was like we had just had a baby! Not for a _looonng_ time, and it was certainly not being discussed while Bella was at my side. We awkwardly arranged ourself into some sort of formation. Me and Bella were at the front, taking point, as was our honour. Paul, Collin, and Brady were behind me.

Sam, Quil and Jared were behind them, and Leah, Seth and Embry behind them. So in a 2-3-3-3 formation. Quil, Sam, and Jared were in the middle as in the unlikely event we were attacked, the Imprints would be in the centre of the pack, which would make them easier to defend if it came to it. It was also the only time that the Alpha didn't lead because normally the hierarchy would be Alpha and Alpha Female, Beta and Beta Female, and then Third and Third Female.

Of course, this in itself was a differentiation from normal wolf packs, because they had an 'Omega', which tended to be the one picked upon and the scapegoat. We didn't want that role, as much as we didn't want to treat someone like that. So, we didn't.

_**"**__**Where are we running to?"**_

The route changed every so often, but more often than not north. Because the forest south of us didn't stretch nearly as far as the northern forest did, which made it difficult to hide about in. Can you imagine the international manhunt we would face if the general public learned about 'giant, horse-like wolves' seen in Washington of all places?

I could see the headlines now: **'Giant Killer Wolves seen in Washington. Are they on the rise?"** or, even better, **"Massive footprints in Washington. Is it Big Foot or Wolves? You'll be surprised!"** We would be, for a lack of a better word, _fucked _if they found out about us. I have better things to do then get hunted down by scientists who want to take our blood and do whatever the hell else.

_**"**__**Probably a few miles short of Canada, if that's okay with everyone else?"**_

It wasn't like we could ask the Imprints themselves (excluding Bella), but they trusted in us enough to make sure that we wouldn't go somewhere uninhabitable. Our natural temperature came in handy, as did fur coats. Plus, they had brought their own blankets and stuff to lay on if by some chance it began to snow. There was a chorus of agreements, and Sam and Jared made sure their Imprints were secure before we began our run.

_**"**__**Ready?"**_

After another chorus of agreements and a quick nuzzle to Bella, we started off at a long lope, before we picked up a manageable speed, traversing through the dirt and expertly manoeuvring through trees like dogs through those weird pole things. Perhaps that was rather an adept phrase..

I lost myself in the thrill of the run, my wolf and I becoming closer than we ever had been before, as we both concentrated on the scents flooring the forest, the dirt beneath our paws, the exhilaration that accompanied the speed, but most of all, my wonderful Imprint who was by my side, who looked as in tune with her wolf as I was. Her walls were still expanded all over the pack, and I could almost lose myself in her mind, if not for the fact that I would bang into a tree-like Quil did.

_**"**__**That was ONE time!"**_

We snickered as a collective group as poor Quil was planning his revenge on me as soon as we stopped. If we were going to get into a massive game of chase, I was going to be the victor. And Imprint or no Imprint, I wasn't going easy on Bella.

_**"**__**Good. I wouldn't have it any other way...although someone might have to tell me the rules.."**_

I'm sure that could be arranged.

* * *

Author's Note

So, A quick clarification of the Imprint ceremony, regarding where the two of them split and go into the woods, before phasing into their wolves. Had Bella been a human, she would have stayed with Billy, with only Jacob going and phasing. But since they are both wolves, they had to change the ceremony a bit.

Another small note, I used most of the Third Wives tale from the Eclipse Script, and as such, don't take credit for it. I added in a few amendments, but not enough to even consider claiming it as my own.

Now, here's the first half of the Imprint ceremony, with the second coming next Thursday! I've _finally _finished all of my exams, so I can hopefully give more time to writing, especially after EITNIP is wrapped up. I've got another story coming up after that, one that belongs to another fandom entirely, one I've never written for before. I'm hoping it goes down well.

I know I've said it before, but before I close off this author's note, and with it, the chapter, I'd like to thank _everyone _for their reviews. I make it a point never to ask for them because I believe people should only do it if they want to, and not because I've asked for them. Because of this, every review is one I cherish, even if it's just telling me they like how the story is going so far. So, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate it (again, another phrase I've been repeating), more then I can ever describe.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your week

**Edit Note 28/5/19 - Grammatical Issues, paragraphing issues fixed**

**Edit Note 22/03/20 - More grammar issues. Said Billy 'stood up', please forgive me for that. It was my mistake, and I take responsibility for it. Thank you to ****BlueCandyMac for pointing this out. **

~Cait


	8. Chapter 8 - Run

Light up, light up  
As if you have a choice  
Even if you cannot hear my voice  
I'll be right beside you dear

Have heart my dear  
We're bound to be afraid  
Even if it's just for a few days  
Making up for all this mess.

Run, by Snow Patrol, from the album Final Straw, released in 2003

* * *

We stopped some fair distance out of Canada. It was the usual cold (not for us) temperature, and was proceeding to get colder the closer we got. The thick and dense wood with their canopies helped shield us to some degree, but I could tell that Emily and Kim were beginning to get progressively colder.

So, we stopped in a small clearing, with a large enough gap so that we could relax freely, but the trees being able to shelter us enough so the Imprints wouldn't get too wet. I shook out my fur, shaking out any twigs which I had been attacked with while running. Bella, having stopped next to me and panting a bit, stood by my side, and I could feel several twigs being dislodged.

I stood stock still as Emily and Kim slid off their respective wolves' back, and they started to lay down a series of blankets for themselves to lay on. After realising that Bella was done, I shifted around and turned to face her, scanning over her own fur to see if there were any needed to be fished out.

The big black wolf that was Sam was laying down next to Emily, her own hands raking through his own fur. Kim was doing the same for Jared, and the other wolves were doing each other. God, that sounded wrong out of context. The pack mind had dissolved into various rumbles of contentedness, and with Sam, Jared, Bella, and myself projecting our bliss, the whole pack was literally incapable of speaking. And that was when it went downhill. But in a good way.

Quil and Seth, being the playful and cheeky ones of the pack, crouched down and wagged their tail, before setting off in a fast bound around the area. Seth, despite the gangly nature of his wolf, was managing to keep pace with Quil, his ash grey, pale brown splodged fur easily keeping up with Quil's own chocolate. Of course, that meant that Embry was going to join in, because Quil and Embry were literally inseparable.

Sam was just watching amused, being the 'mature' Alpha of the pack, and was just calmly sitting next to Emily, head on paws, tail wagging calmly. It was rare he would join in our games, usually preferring to watch us much like a parent would. I guess he was the oldest. Jared would sometimes join in, but only after Kim had given him plenty of cuddles and kisses and pets. After a few moments of deliberation, Collin and Brady joined in, turning the game from a game of chase to a game of tag.

I was sat next to Bella, who had been very quiet. And while it was well within her normal character trait, I couldn't help but worry. I carefully and gently read the information coming from the bond, because her mind had closed off to the pack once more. Fortunately, her 'shield' as we had decided to call it, didn't effect the bond on either side, so I was grateful for that.

Happiness..the feeling of being overwhelmed..at ease..betrayal..comforted. A series of complex emotions that while I could guess the causes of them, I knew that the best way would be to ask her about it, see if I could help. Whether she would tell me would be another thing entirely.

_**"How are you feeling?"**_

I was very pointedly not looking at her eyes, because I didn't want to pressure her. I wanted her to trust me with her emotions, not have her feel forced to tell me. I could see Quil and Seth egging Paul on to join them, trying to break his 'I'm too mature to play' facade. If they couldn't do it (honestly, Seth's innocence and wit was refreshing. That was the only thing that the Leech said that I agreed with), then I was confident nobody could.

Once they had gotten Paul to play, then they would most likely move onto Leah, who was sat, ears pricked, under a tree, and then me and Bella. And while I was happy to play, Bella might not be that comfortable joining in, so I would quite happily sit out with her. Bella let out a huff, before moving closer to me and brushing her head next to mine.

_**"Just some emotions. I'm working my way through them. Just bare with me."**_

Then, in an 180 degree turn from what she was just feeling, she nipped me in the flack before loping off, making me think she was part springer spaniel or something, with the way she bounced over the grass with ease. Following her, she began to sprint, weaving through the trees and making sharp turns to try and throw me off course.

Such was the benefits of having a smaller form then me. Losing myself in the chase, I could sense the group from earlier join in, all of us following after her. Perhaps through the thrill of the chase, she could come to terms with her emotions. I hoped so anyway.

* * *

Bella was looking at the fallen deer like it had insulted her mother. It was impressive, if we put aside her expression for a moment, how fast she had adapted to hunting. Or, it could be because her wolf took over, one of them. We had checked that the window was blowing away from us, so it couldn't scent us, before I covered the front and Bella covered the back, albeit from a distance.

Judging by the fur and the smell (we can smell illness, there's a fun fact), it was healthy. With a smooth pounce and a bite to the chest, with Bella doing something similar from behind, the deer had no chance, falling to the ground with blood stained fur. It was a quick death, because we weren't cruel. There was a niggling at the back of my mind, and upon exploring further I could tell that it wasn't from me. It seemed like Bella was feeling reserved about the matter, and almost...sad.

Striding over to her, I bumped my shoulder into her, as she seemed to snap out of whatever it was before turning to address me. I could feel her shield wrap around me, the feeling of a comfortable blanket wrapping around my own mind, feeling safe and secure. In an unspoken question, I cocked my head towards her, my tail sweeping lowly behind me. Once, it might've been jarring to suddenly grow a tail, well, change body completely, but now it had become second nature. Literally.

_**"Do we..we eat this?"**_

I frowned (as much as I could in wolf form anyway), and I couldn't help but look at her in slight confusion. Did she think we killed it for sport? We didn't do that, we would only kill for the intent of eating. Excluding Leeches. Eugh...that put a horrible image of eating a Leech...cold and solid marble, no thank you. Ugh.

Bella seemed amused by my thoughts, although she couldn't quite hide the flinch. Not that I blamed her..I swear to god if I ever see that son of a bitch again, I'm going to tear him limb from limb- me and the rest of the pack anyway. Not that we'd let Collin, Brady, or Seth take part.

_**"I mean.. we won't cook it?"**_

I was still confused...until something sprung to mind. And then, like a massive slap to the face (by a werewolf, because if someone else did it, they would end up with a broken hand)- of course she would have reservations- she had only been a wolf a couple of days (hard to realise, I know), so I'm not surprised that she wouldn't want to eat raw meat.

She was probably used to eating cooked meat, because unless you've been living under a rock, you would know that raw meat would upset a humans stomach. It technically still applied to us- in human form anyway. Unwilling to force her into anything- because she had free will dammit!- I carefully tried to explain what we were going to do.

_**"I'm sure Emily or Kim would cook a portion of it for you. When we are like this, our body becomes like that of a wolf. As such, the raw meat doesn't affect us like it would if we were human."**_

She looked at the dead deer once more, before sitting on her haunches and looking at me curiously. To show that I wasn't lying, or on a wind up, I moved to the hind leg and very delicately tore off a chunk of meat. Before you called me disgusting, in this form it literally tasted like it did cooked, just less warm and more meaty. If that makes sense.

But still, if I got a choice I still would rather have it cooked- but for sake of practicality I would eat it raw. Bella approached it slowly, before tearing a chunk out of the front flank. Continuing to eat and giving her some semblance of privacy, I could sense the tinge of surprise and the yearning hunger. She took another bite after the first, and we both continued until there were only a few bits left- mainly the skeleton, eyes (ew), heart (eugh), hooves (it's like eating dry wood) lungs (like eating balloons), intestine and kidneys (rubbery, elastic-y, kinda like under cooked spaghetti).

I had of course, being the good imprint I am, warned Bella about the certain pieces she should avoid, and she had taken my advice. After burying the remains so our existence was hidden, and our tracks masked, we trotted back to the clearing, where Emily and Kim were cooking their own meal, their respective wolves having trotted off to eat their own respective meal.

Bella had decided to take some 'girl time', and as such had taken to lying down next to Emily, whose hands were running throughout her fur, untangling various knots. Leah had smirked, before joining the little group, sitting to the left of Kim, lying down with her head on her paws, grey fur neat and tidy.

Bella's shield had adjusted from where it had looped over the entire pack, to just settling around her own mind and Leah's, allowing them to have privacy. Which left the rest of us talking amongst ourselves, with some of the others playing chase. I had taken a seat next to Sam, who's wolf was slightly smaller than my own. It wasn't a noticeable difference unless you were _really_ paying attention, but it wasn't like it had an effect on much.

It was quite ironic, that Bella, with the smallest wolf, was imprint to the largest wolf. It was just something that made me chuckle. Sam, watching over the pack with a wary yet contented gaze, momentarily dragged his eyes away to look at me, as I instinctively turned my head as if asking '_what_?'. He flicked his head towards the peaceful looking Bella, before turning back to face me.

_**"How is she?"**_

Using some of our training time to figure out what her shield could do, well, at least to the limits we could test, we knew that we couldn't hear her and she us. Which made it easier to talk about her, without her hearing.

Of course, we hadn't yet found out _why _she had this ability (apparently the Leech couldn't listen into her mind, although some part of me wished he could so he could feel her pain.) so that was how we knew it hadn't manifested during the change, as some sort of side effect. But apparently she couldn't manipulate it before the phase, so perhaps it adapted? We could theorise all day, but it was something that we would probably never know. And it suited us just fine.

_**"She's doing okay. It's a lot to get used to, in a short amount of time, but she's strong, I know she will do it."**_

Watching her with a pleased look in my eyes, I was glad that she talking happily with the other girls, (well, communicating I guess. She can't quite speak right now), and I was glad that she had accepted the others. Despite the clash in personalities between Leah and Bella, they both got on.

It could be because they could both emphasise with the love of their life betraying them (albeit in completely different contexts, and Leah had accepted Emily now), but I was just glad that the both of them got on. Even if there had been original misgivings due to the fact that Bella loved a Leech.

_**"And with the Leech?"**_

I sighed, still watching Bella interact with the other girls, her tail sweeping on the ground behind her in a wide arc. The Leech was still a topic I had yet to breach with her, other then when she had opened up to me before the Bonfire. I didn't want to come across as pressuring her, but I also didn't want her to keep it to herself. I certainly knew my opinions about the matter- if he thought I hated him before, well, he should multiply that by a substantial number.

_**"It's still a subject I haven't brought up yet- so far, during her training, she hasn't visible shown or felt any emotion relating to the destruction of Vampires, and other then something she mentioned to me in confidence, the topic hasn't really come up."**_

Sam nodded slowly, watching Emily with a glancing eye, before turning his attention back to me. His thoughts were centering around how he would feel if his Imprint had been attacked by a leech. The underlying tone of his thoughts echoed around the way he had felt when he had accidentally attacked Emily, plus the unending, unrelenting, anger towards who had hurt her. Apparently, he would have charged off after them almost immediately, and was congratulation me for my self restraint.

_**"Understandable. The Leech will never get near her again- she's got new brothers and a sister who would defend her until their last breath."**_

Various noises of agreements were voiced, everyone seemingly pausing in their activities to join us in our conversation. Such was the perks of the pack mind. Sam flicked his ears, and I couldn't help but scrunch up my nose as a small insect flew around, irritating me. I hated the damn things, even if I could quite easily take them down.

_**"How is the Imprint going for you both?"**_

The underlying question was, 'was it still a half imprint'. Which it wasn't- apparently all it needed to become a whole imprint was Bella to become a wolf. Why? We had to add that to the list of things we didn't know, which was growing by the day. In truth, despite the little time we had experienced the Imprint, it had been good.

My wolf was somewhat appeased, no longer wanting to jump Bella's bones every time we were next to one another (which was a lot), I was less anxious about her not accepting me in general, and it let me know what she needed and when she needed it.

We had only experienced the positive side so far, and I was enjoying it. I hoped she was as well. I told Sam as much, and he looked happy for me, a goofy look on his face which was somewhat foreign. Although we had once not gotten along, that was in the past, and we were as close as brothers. I suppose, in a way, we were.

* * *

The sky was beginning to set, the ruby red sky blending with the piercing white moon like an artist's canvas. We had all wound down our activities, huddling near one another, as the Imprints (not including Bella), snuggled near their respective wolf, keeping it PG thank God. I definitely didn't need to see that. I was next to Bella, her fur clinging to my own side as she was just staring out into our grassy surroundings, seemingly at peace.

Yet, I could tell that something was bugging her. Without even looking at the bond, I could tell by her body structure, and the fact that her tail was a low, slow, sweep that there was something bugging her. Her shield resettled itself around my mind and hers, and the conversation between the other wolves abruptly cut out, leaving a silence.

_**"The last time I was in a forest.. a clearing like this.. I was with the Cullens."**_

The end of her sentence almost had a bite behind it, and the anger she felt was coming through evidently. Whether she was intending to or not, the memory swirled around, just as she remembered it. It wasn't a clear night- the wind howling and the thunder slamming deep down into the ground. She could see the group of them playing what looked like...baseball? That made me chuckle, because it was so _surreal__._ Who knew that _Vampires_ played the good 'ole American past time?

Although I was wondering why they were playing in thunder...and I could practically feel the sensation of freezing coming from Bella. It was a feeling I was unused to, mainly because I hadn't felt it in over a year. When Cruel-Leech swung the bat, which looked to be made out of a heavy duty metal, I realised why they needed the thunder.

A large _bang_ emitted when it made contact, loud, shattering, and deafening. The memory disappeared almost as fast as it came. It was clear that despite what had happened- _the_ _Leech_ beating her within in inches of her life, and the others leaving her to the wolves (funny yet accurate little metaphor)- it was a fond memory. I hoped we could give her many more, and help her overcome the sheer _betrayal_ that she had experienced.

_**"I'm angry. Like I've said before, I'm furious, but despite that, I look upon the events with a fondness. Is that so wrong?"**_

I shook my head. I may detest the Leeches, and everything they stand for, but they were there for Bella when I wasn't. Even if they ended up ignoring her, leaving her, assaulting her, and god knows what else. Or the fact that I was probably a safer supernatural creature when compared to the Leeches, anger issues and all. I could appreciate that, but nothing else.

It still made me furious how they had treated her, and I mean_ blood boiling_ levels of furious. It was even worse then what I had done, and I'd thrown her away like a piece of shit. I should have done more to let her down gently. At least then I wouldn't have left her alone and susceptible to the scenario she was in..and maybe then she wouldn't have been a wolf.

_**"JACOB! The two scenarios are completely different! You didn't..."**_

I could practically feel her emotions slam down on me like a hammer, and the sheer honesty coming from her practically drowned me. She had leaped up, her form tightening , before she barrelled into me, startling me. Despite her smaller form, when you don't expect it, it is fairly easy to knock one over. Her paws were to the side of my neck, and her back legs near mine. Her lip was curling in barely disguised anger, and I had to fight all my instincts to throw her off me.

Looking into her eyes, hardened and blazing, I could tell that her wolf was brimming near the edges, treading the line like someone would water. Sam had turned and had tensed, but was cautiously watching in case I needed an intervention. I could do it myself, but I was too busy being chewed out. Honestly, I was surprised that Bella had acted this way- being out of character for her- but I was also proud. Because it meant she was gaining confidence in this form.

_**"You had a noble cause behind it! You wanted to protect me, and yes, while it was harsh, you were under pressure at the time. Edw- the Leech suddenly took me into a forest under false pretenses, left me near death, and his family didn't even come see me before they left! You are infinitely better then him!"**_

The beginning of a rumble was humming in her throat, and I don't think it occurred to her what position she was in. It certainly wasn't doing wonders for my mind. I tried to gently tug on the bond to help loosen the hold her wolf had on her. While our inner wolves were helpful in some instances, I had doubts it was a good time for her to lose it.

Not in a random clearing near Canada. I tucked my tail in and crooned lowly in my throat, all while tugging on the bond and trying to ease it, from where it was tight and tense. She blinked rapidly, almost as if fog had cleared in front of her, and suddenly noticed our close proximity. She practically threw herself back, eyes wide open and entire posture lax. Walking up to her, I rubbed myself up against her in an attempt to calm her down, before nudging her back into a laying down position.

Without words, I simply laid next to her, soothing her with the best way I knew, and she was soon lulled into a deep sleep. I followed suit, and while I knew the conversation was coming, I was contented to lie next to her, snuggled together and next to my one and only. That was all that mattered to me. Issues of Vampires and leeches and instincts was something to be talked about another day.

* * *

Author's Note

And this is today's chapter! I am officially enjoying the dwindling days until I have to go back to school, but it could be worse.

I had fun trying to decide what the spelling of centre-ing. See, I'm Scottish, so I tend to write in British English (even if it might be immersion breaking). So where some people spell Center, I spell Centre.

But, my spell checker wouldn't accept centring as a word. It wanted me to spell it centering, which does look better. But then I looked it up and centring is a correct spelling. So?...I have no clue anymore.

That's about it. So...a question before I go. What is something you've always wanted to do but never have done? I'd like to go to a gaming festival, but I'll have to wait until I'm a bit older before I can go. And possibly save up a lot.

I'll see you all next time,

~Cait


	9. Chapter 9 - The Name of the Game

Only a week since we started  
It seems to be  
For every time  
I'm getting more open-hearted

Tell me please  
Cause I have to know  
I'm a bashful child  
Beginning to grow

The Name of the Game, by ABBA, from the album The Album, released in 1977

* * *

Our run was almost over, and we had been running for a few hours now. We were due back in La Push by around twelve o'clock, which wasn't a moment too soon. Charlie would want to see his daughter, and we couldn't afford to leave anybody unprotected, especially with the _Leech_ possibly out for Bella.

I was beginning to get annoyed at the Pack, because they were mercilessly ribbing me for Bella managing to get the jump on me and pinning me with ease. The only thing I was thankful for was that they waited for Bella to snap her own shield around her mind so that she couldn't hear them ribbing me.

_**"Yeah, we don't want to be pinned by the force that is Bella."**_

Now, I could take a joke. I can appreciate them, crack them, dish them out and take it. But it got annoying when they kept _repeating_ it, every few minutes. It was driving me mad, and they knew it. If it wasn't 'jokes' like that, then it was little comments that they thought were smart but actually weren't. Such as-

_**"You are whipped Dude."**_

I swear, sometimes they didn't know when to stop! Quil just kept pushing and pushing and pushing I was going to tear a chunk out of him if he kept on with it! Paul wasn't much better, constantly poking fun at my expense, and I was ready to pin him down to the ground.

It was amazing how a few comments could succeed in riling me up. Despite this, I was extremely reluctant to use an injunction. Yes, it was pissing me off, but I wasn't going to use an injunction- that would be a gross misuse of power, and I knew how much everybody hated it.

_**"Stop it guys. It was funny the first few times but not the fifty million times after."**_

I was grateful for Embry right about then. Otherwise somebody would be heading back injured. Grrr. Bella carefully nudged back into the pack mind, forcing everybody to stop making jabs. Bella was thinking about seeing Charlie- a stray thought about him poisoning himself was comical-before thinking about the Leech.

She was hoping he wouldn't come back- because she didn't want to put Charlie in harm's way. It was a very real thought- because if he truly wanted to get to Bella, then getting to Charlie would be a good way to do that. As a joint collective thought, we reassured her that we wouldn't let that happen- but our journey sped up all the same.

* * *

Upon arriving back, and realising that our patrol duty was in the evening- late evening- we went for a leisurely walk (in human form) to Bella's house. While I usually drove, it wasn't that long of a walk- plus if we got bored we could just run. It was peaceful- the neighbouring woods was green and vibrant, the twitters of birds echoing around, the humming of cars far off to our right.

Walking mostly in silence, I think the both of us were just caught in our thoughts. It didn't take us very long to get to Bella's house, roughly about a twenty five minute walk. You'd think we were tired considering we had just ran back from Canada, but it was nice to have some time to ourselves.

It wasn't like we had any time in the evening due to the patrol, which Bella was doing for the first time this evening. We needed as much hands- paws- on deck, especially with the potential threat of _Leech_. If he came back once, he could easily do so again. And God only knows what he could do.

"Jacob?"

I turned to face her, part of her eyes hidden by a strand of her hair. She reached up and wrapped it around her ear, allowing me to see her gorgeous brown eyes. I could most definitely stare into them for forever if I could. Still, acknowledging her question rather than acknowledging the fact that I wanted to hold her hand, I finally got round to replying to her.

"Yeah Bells?"

"Why didn't you want to be Alpha?"

Well, that was an unexpected turn of events. I mentally racked my mind in an attempt to figure out if I had ever explained my birth right to her- but came up empty. I didn't think I had...maybe someone else had mentioned it to her or something. It was hardly a secret after all- well, it wasn't even a secret. It was just a fact.

"I didn't like the idea of leading, or having that kind of power over someone."

I found myself replying easily as we picked up our stride once again, just enjoying the tranquillity. My stomach was rumbling, and I could hear Bella's seemingly following suit- and it came to mind that we hadn't actually eaten that morning.

Once I had dropped Bella off, I'd probably head back to Dad's to eat, and presumably either chill out or fix some cars. Maybe I would even fix a car up for Bella...granted that she had her trusty Chevy, but that thing was on its last legs- and it was even in a state that it probably wasn't even worse fixing it.

But that didn't matter for now- what did matter was finding the Leeches and making sure Bella was adapting to the pack okay.

"The role never appealed to me, and I had felt like I would make an awful leader. Even if I had wanted the position- which Sam has always offered to give me should I ever change my mind- giving a newly phased wolf power like that so soon would be like giving a baby a loaded gun and telling it not to fire it."

Bella nodded slowly, seemingly understanding my point. She understood anything I told her- and I was filled with overwhelming love for my Imprint. She was so understanding..almost to a fault. I would argue that she's too forgiving.. but then again she was (justifiably) unwilling to forgive Edward so, do with that as you will.

"I don't think I would want that power either.."

We lapsed back into silence once again, and after a few minutes we had arrived at Bella's house, with Charlie's cruiser parked in the front. Strolling to the door, Bella went in first, and while I was content to just head back, she invited me in, and I felt it was rude to say no. I wasn't particularly busy anyway.

"Dad?"

Bella shouted up the stairs, as she began to gather several plates together in the kitchen, reaching over for some bread. An awkward silence overcame us, as we waited for Charlie's response. To our surprise, there wasn't any response- until my phone made a shrill noise, startling both me and Bella, who slipped with the grater she currently had.

"Dammit!"

She cursed as I strolled over to her, tearing a piece of kitchen paper and carefully cleaned the wound. Her healing should take care of it before long- a small cut like that would take thirty seconds or so to heal. It didn't mean I wasn't worried though.

Upon removing the tissue, the wound was a small pink purse on her slightly tanned hand. It was amazing that Charlie hadn't noticed anything but the growth spurt. Upon being satisfied that Bella was fine, and she was resuming to make the sandwiches, I looked at what had caused my phone to ding.

"Charlie's at my dads."

Bella nodded, having finished serving the sandwiches and passing me two plates, each with four sandwiches on. I blinked at her, before she smiled sheepishly, walking into the dining room and sitting down with her own plates.

"Sorry..I probably should've asked but, well, I heard your stomach rumble earlier so I assumed you were as hungry as I was."

Thanking her, I tucked in, filling my empty stomach with the food I had been given. All was going well, the sandwiches were delicious, and we were just making small talk. I had excused myself to go to the toilet, before I was hit with the smell of bleach. Strong, nose burning, bleach. Hoping to God I was wrong, I hesitantly called down to Bella:

"Do you know if Charlie cleaned the bathroom today?"

"No."

She replied, and my stomach sank deeper, and fury began to fill me. Keeping as composed as I could, I carefully followed the scent to Bella's room, before pausing, clenching my fists and taking deep breaths. I could be paranoid. It could be an old scent- after all, Creepy Leech had watched Bella sleep. But rarely was my instincts wrong, and they were screaming loud and clear.

"Bella? Can you come up here please?"

A few seconds passed, before Bella was by my side, recoiling at the smell. Her eyes narrowed, her posture freezing, before I put my hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. While still tense, she nodded to me with a look that was thanking me. I pushed open the door, fighting the urge to recoil when the smell hit me fifteen times worse than it had previously.

Pushing through, Bella's room looked normal. Her bed was neat and tidy, the numerous books in her room stacked small and tucked away, and her floor empty of any clutter. It looked like a tidy room, untouched, and normal, if it wasn't for the horrible smell of bleach- or rather, Leech- looping all around her room.

Pulling out my phone, a low growl building in my chest- which I couldn't contain, even though I tried my best to- I phoned Sam, wrapping my arm around Bella almost as if I could shield her. I knew that she was a wolf, had strength and healing rivalling my own, but I couldn't help but want to shield her with my body.

"Jacob?"

"There's been a _Leech_ at Bella's house."

A brief pause, snarl from somewhere over the phone, and heavy breathing later, Sam returned, echoing into the background, stating four simple words.

"We'll be there soon."

He hung up, and shooting a quick text to my father to tell him to keep Charlie distracted, myself and Bella went back downstairs, no longer wanting to subject ourselves to the pain of the smell. Bella was slightly shaking, but checking the bond, I could sense both fear and anger, leading me unable to conclude whether it was a 'my wolf is on the edges of emerging' shake or a 'I'm terrified that my ex is here' shake.

Either would be justified- but for now, I tried to calm her down by easing the bond, while also trying to shield her instinctively. They would not get near her again- not on mine or the pack's hands. Paws? Hands. Let's go with hands.

* * *

Soon enough, the calvary came running in- and by calvary I meant Sam, Embry and Leah. Embry, you might be surprised to know, is one of our best trackers. When he tracked, he made it look so simple that I was almost in awe. Leaving the pleasantries (or lack thereof) to Sam and Leah, Embry marched straight upstairs, and you could hear his light footsteps echoing above us.

Leah had a slight quiver adorning her body, whereas Sam was still his casual self. Well, he looked casual and calm, but underneath his eyes I could see the anger beneath them. Because he was most likely feeling the same feelings I was- and not the imprint kind. The 'someone is messing with my kids' kind of feeling, or the 'my kids are in danger' feeling.

Yes, I am referring to the pack as kids, because Sam had told me, when he was briefly going over what being an Alpha included, that he often felt paternal to those within the pack. Early days between him and Emily, but on a side note, I could see Sam being a good father. Anyhow, now was not the time for that.

"Come on Bella.."

Leah soothed, guiding my Imprint out the house and far away from the haunting scent of the Leeches. She could protect herself sure, but I would always worry about her- especially considering that she hadn't even completed her training yet. Fucking Leeches couldn't hold off for more then a few weeks, could they?

"How about we go for a run, then we'll go see your Dad."

It was phrased like a question, but honestly, it was more of a statement. Leah was not one to mince her words, and was pretty blunt- she had been like that before her first phase- so when she phrased something the way she did, it was more of a statement. Still, upon my acknowledging nod, she removed herself from my hold, and walked outside with Leah, leaving us alone in the house.

Well, her house. Not the house. Upon checking everywhere else in the house, finding nothing out of place and the scent originating from Bella's room, we migrated up their to join Embry, who had a downturned smile on his face, obviously displeased. Turning to look at us, as my fists clenched and I promised retribution for what must be the fiftieth time, Embry narrowed his eyes before dramatically jumping out of the window.

Sam gestured for me to pass him the spare key, and I did, with Sam catching them with ease. I jumped out the window similarly to Embry, following his sprint into the forest that surrounded Bella's house, before quickly getting unchanged and phasing, leaving the clothes hidden in the tree.

Embry's familiar form slunk out, nose twitching as he tracked, and I followed him, trying to not cause him any disruption. We would find out who was in Bella's room- one way or another. And if it was a Cullen? May God have mercy on their souls because we certainly wouldn't.

* * *

Currently, we were pacing the old treaty line. I say old, because it was null and void- therefore no longer in use or needed. Embry had tracked the scent all the way back here, before it washed away, causing me to pace furiously. Whoever it was had been right here, near my imprint, near those she loved. Did I care that they hadn't done anything other then invade her privacy? No.

They had been near her, in her room, in _her_ house, with no explicit permission. It was almost like they thought they could do whatever they wanted! The amount of disrespect they shoved..it made me want to shred them limb from limb. The wolf inside me was pacing, fur bristled, fangs gleaming with a thirst for blood, gleaming brown eyes hard and flinty. A low snarl was brimming in me, with a double timbre- a growl from each of me. My wolf and the human.

Claws were digging deep into the brown dirt, and my form rigid, my back arched like that of a cats. My instincts were screaming for me to _protect. Protect what was mine. Don't allow them to hurt Imprint._ Before I was even aware of what was happening, I was abruptly shoved into the back of my head as the wolf took over, completely ignoring Embry's worried murmurs, as he pushed his claws into the dirt, instinctually searching for his mate, who could be in danger.

His thoughts in contrast to mine, were very simplistic, focusing on one thing in particular. _Mate. Protect. Enemy. Hurt. Pain. Where? Not here. Need to be by her side._ I was just thankful that he wasn't concentrating on the Alpha position, because I quite literally couldn't do anything to stop him at this point.

* * *

-Bella's POV-

My life was really fricking strange. Well. I guess we knew that already, considering my ex was a vampire, beat me within two inches of my life, and I suddenly became a werewolf. Oh, and I was destined to be with Jacob, someone who I had practically been raised with until I stopped coming to Forks. So yes, my life was weird, but I was slowly adjusting. Very slowly. When you suddenly obtain an entity within you that didn't exist before, it's throwing.

She was always there, lingering under my skin, either pacing, snarling, or giving me advice, through the innocuous feelings and thoughts that I knew weren't mine or Jake's. Sam had appeared while I had talked with Charlie, who of which was unaware of my ordeal with Edward. Which was good, because I didn't want him to get hurt because he decided to shoot an invulnerable vampire. Once, I never would have dreamed that Edward would hurt Charlie, but after everything that had happened? It was a very real possibility.

Both Leah and Sam were teaching me some basic pouncing manoeuvres, so that I had some self defence should we get attacked- which was getting increasingly higher since one of them had been in my room. I couldn't establish who it was- because not only did all their smells smell exactly the same- the blend of sugar and bleach in my nose- but they had left no traces. At all. If it wasn't for the scent which was definitely fresh, it wouldn't have been noticeable.

But, I also knew that it hadn't been circumstance- whoever in there had some intentions, but whether they were malevolent or benevolent I didn't know, and neither did the Pack. Honestly, after the Cullens had left me, without any form of goodbye or maybe you know, any sort of closure, I wasn't eager to see them. And if it was Edward, I wasn't letting him near Jacob or Charlie, and I wouldn't let him close to me again.

I was momentarily jarred as a russet blur dashed in front of me, and curled around the front of me protectively, like a shield. I would recognise the body anywhere- and there was only one member of the pack with russet fur.

Jacob was snarling, lip curled at both Leah and Sam, and I was confused- they hadn't done anything, so why was he so aggressive? From what Jacob had told me, this didn't look like a claim for the title of Alpha, (he would have been lunging for Sam's throat by now if it was the case) so what on earth was it.

_**"He's protecting his Mate. You. That isn't Jacob"**_

Sam explained, maintaining a clear distance between the still snarling Jacob. Well. Jacob Wolf? Wolf? Fido? Definitely not Fido. He most likely would see the funny side of it, but to call him fido would most likely insult me as well, So, no dice. We'll just go with Jacob, for the sake of keeping everything clear. Something must have spooked him for him to suddenly lose it, because Jacob had the best control in the pack.

_**"It's his wolf." **_

_**"What do I do?" **_

I asked, trying to stay as still as I could in order to try and calm him. No doubt if I moved, he would get more agitated, and possibly do something that rational Jake would regret later. Wagging my tail slowly (inner wolf told me that was a sign of being friendly? I need to google about wolves when I get the chance), I slowly nudged his side, drawing his attention to me.

_**"Let him know you are there, safe. He should snap out of it soon after."**_

Following Leah's advice, I slowly and calmly moved in front of him, blocking his sight of Sam and Leah. Making a weird crooning noise (which was odd to hear, I was learning new things) I shoved my head under his as he inhaled. I wasn't particularly good at this bond thing, but trying to remember what Jacob had said, I imagined it in the back of my mind, and imagined wrapping my hands around it and soothing the frays.

It wasn't easy to read, it was kind of like those English texts you have that are filled with words you don't know the meaning of, but from what little I could tell he was running heavily on his instincts- his wolf. Wrapping my shield around him, pushing out the small wall that usually circled around the pack and narrowing it down around just me and Jacob, I rubbed my body up against his, crooning and making a weird sound consisting of various different pitches.

Whatever it was, it seemed to be calming him down.

_** "I'm here...I'm safe...I'm with you and you with me. There are no enemies."**_

Rumbles emerged from Jacob's chest, as he circled around me anxiously, with his eyes slowly losing that wild, animalistic and hard glint. His fur slowly fell back down, looking less like he had been hit by lightning and more like he had professionally groomed, and his rumbles ceased once I gave him a shy lick on the muzzle.

Jacob didn't know, but I was aware of his love for me. It was hard not to be when you were surrounded by a pack of mostly males, and Jacob wasn't exactly subtle. And honestly? I had some of those feelings..but I knew I wasn't ready.

He was everything I needed and more, but the heartache over Edward still lingered. I wanted to get into a relationship, but it wasn't fair to him right now, not when I was still hurting. Jacob blinked his softened eyes, before looking at me.

_**"Sorry.." **_

_**"It's fine.."**_

I shrugged off his apology, because it wasn't his fault, and it wasn't like he had hurt me at all. It had lasted less than fifteen minutes, and all he had done was be overprotective. He really didn't have any reason to apologise, at all. His would be response was cut off by a loud and sharp howl, along with a stream of thoughts from Embry, who, judging by the images he was projecting, was near the old treaty line.

_**"Sam, the Cullens are back! And they wish to talk to you." **_

Great. Just _fucking_ great. I wasn't one for swearing, but this was not only incredibly bad timing, but _I didn't want to see them._ At all. I couldn't stop the involuntary shiver as Jacob chuffed in an attempt to calm me. Sam growled, loud, sharp, and with an Alpha timbre that made my whole frame tense.

_**"Let's go...entertain them. If they don't have a very..."**_

You could tell he was angry, just by the curl of his lip and the fact that he broke off into a snarl halfway through his sentence, joined by both Jacob and myself (to my surprise). But again, thinking on it, I realised that I was _angry_. Beneath the pain and the fear and the betrayal, I was _furious_.

_**"..good reason, then we will tear them limb for limb."**_

As the rest of the pack phased in, Sam ordered Seth, Brady, and Collin to run the borderline- he didn't want them near the vampires if he could help it, and the role needed to be filled anyway. It was a stroke of luck that we were all able to phase, because normally myself, Jacob, Seth, Collin and Brady would be in school now. Leaving the pack short. So I guess there was a positive about the situation.

_**"You don't have to come Bells." **_

Jake offered, as they began to sprint to where the vampires were, as Embry was stood watching them with a wary glare and a low rumble. If that was what Embry was like, and he was considered to be the most passive of us, who knows what the rest of the pack would be like.

With a determined glint in my eyes, and my fur standing up on edge, I refused his offer, either this being a very good idea or a very bad one. But I needed my closure if I could ever hope to move on with Jake.

_**"No. I need to see what they will say. I need the closure."**_

With no more of a word said, and ignoring the possibility that the pack might have to attack (because, despite everything, I'm not sure how to feel about that) the pack gathered at the old treaty line, where the amber eyes of the ones who I considered to be my old family met my ones. Thickening up my shields, and wrapping them around my family, I vowed to do everything I could to protect my new family. I could only hope I could do enough.

* * *

Author's Note

I did say I was going to bring the Cullens back into it. And I have. Finally, the actual plot line is going to kick off, Bella possibly getting the closure she's been needing.

I'm back to school now, which is why this chapter was released at 9PM rather then the other times I have adopted during my study leave. Plus, I ended up adding a bit extra to the chapter, so I only just finished it and edited it.

I'd like to thank everyone who reviews, and while I always respond, to those who have their PM's closed, I'd like to say thanks in here instead! I've been forgetting to add it into the notes, but today, drugged up on Naproxen and some flu stuff, I finally remembered.

Go figure.

So before I go, here's a question. What is everyone's favourite genre of music? You might've guessed that I have quite a few different tastes, but my favourite is rock. Especially 80's rock, like Bon Jovi and Aerosmith.

So, to everyone, have a nice week, and I'll see you when I see you!

~Cait


	10. Chapter 10 - Hurts

Baby, I'm not made of stone, it hurts yeah  
Loving you the way I do, it hurts  
When all that's left to do is watch it burn  
Oh yeah yeah baby, I'm not made of stone, it hurts

I took a minute till the penny dropped, you know  
My tears don't fall too often  
But your knife is cuttin' me deep  
Deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep

Hurts, Emeli Sandé, from the album Long Live the Angels, released in 2016

* * *

They were there. On their side of the non-existent treaty line, were six of the family of seven. Pure golden eyes, looking innocent, almost as if they hadn't left me. If there was one thing I _had_ to be grateful for in this whole scenario, was that they still had their golden eyes, not a swirl of red in sight.

And no, I wasn't glad about it because that meant they had stuck to their morals (which apparently didn't include anything about leaving a girl to die), but it meant that no-one could have possibly be subjected to that cruelty. Sam had been the one to be our ambassador, as he was Alpha, but Jacob and Jared flanked him at both sides, each with a curl in their lips. Some of us were hidden in the trees, but the rest of us were standing behind our pack, bristling and snarling.

I knew that most of them wanted to jump and snarl and bite and tear chunks away from them, but Sam had told us to hold off on that for the minute. He wanted information. On my behalf. I needed my answers- I was beyond furious at how I had been treated, cast aside as if I wasn't worth anything, or like a child tosses away a toy. Edward wasn't with them, which was a very good idea as he would have had to deal with several pissed off, horse sized wolves.

As it was, I dug my claws deep into the earth, backed rigid and arches, with my wolf brimming close to surface. But she wasn't wanting to take over to protect me- no she wanted to work _together_. So I trusted her, mentally making room for her to join me in the forefront of my consciousness. _I hope I don't regret this._ As she handled the body side of things, having much more knowledge on the aspect of combat, I concentrated on my shield.

I pushed it around all of the wolves, making sure it nestled neatly over them without any discomfort. Once that was achieved, I imagined thickening them up, reinforcing them, until they were almost impenetrable. Well, it seemed like that anyway. It was taxing my mind, but as far as I was concerned it was worth it. Even if it was tiring me.

Slipping back to the side of my mind, I watched as Sam began to speak, and in the back of my mind I could feel Jacob's fury but also concern for me. I kept him as calm as I could, reassuring him that, for now, I was fine. Depending on how this conversation goes, my answer might differ.

"Leeches."

"Sam, Pack."

Carlisle replied, a strain in his voice. Now _that_ was new. Rarely have I ever seen Carlisle have anything other then his usual smooth voice. Even when he was stressed, including the whole debacle with James, he had been calm. Worried, but calm. Of course, the fact that I had mentioned this, caused confusion to arise up in Jacob, and I could tell the rest of the pack felt the same.

_Who was James?_ Was the collective thought. Shoving the memory down, I told them I would tell them all later. My paw burned at the memory, but Jacob fortunately seemed to think it was just a bad memory. Thank god. Now would not be a good time for Jacob to maul them. He was already pissed enough at them- again with good reason.

"Why do you come here?"

A good question to start on. Jasper had his arms around Alice, and Emmett was standing a few steps behind Rosalie, who, judging by her form, was angry. That wasn't anything new. Rose hadn't particularly liked me, for reasons she didn't deign to tell me. At first, I had thought I had done something, but after some reassurance from _Edward_ himself, I was led to believe it was just how she was.

Had he lied to me about that? His actions had thrown everything he had ever said to me- various 'I love yous', 'You are my everything' and so on thrown into contention.

"We wish to seek permission to talk to Isabella Swan. We have come to understand she interacts with you?"

I couldn't help but chuckle, which of course made all of the Cullen's look at me. Great. Considering that A. Edward wasn't here, and couldn't act as resident wolf translator, and B. They _didn't _know I was a wolf, it would just seem odd. My reaction, that is.

And last I checked, Alice could never see me when I hung out with Jake (perhaps it had something to do with him bearing the wolf gene- hang on, could she even see me any more?), and Jasper couldn't identify people by emotions. They were very general after all. Still, I didn't like all of the eye contact, especially with Rosalie's dead glare staring me down. In response, my wolf silently curled her-my-_our_? lip even further, and met the glare evenly, a growl bubbling at the back of my throat.

"She does."

Sam replied smoothly, his posture infallible and the protective note in his voice easily audible. It was sweet._ But not as sweet as you_. I threw towards Jake, as he practically fought to keep his menacing glare trained on the Cullens.

Wait, fuck. _Jasper_. Please tell me he didn't catch that emotion. Please. Still, upon scrutinising Jasper's face, he seemed to have a glance of confusion. But considering the fact that I _wasn't_ an empath, I couldn't figure out why he was confused.

"But why should we allow you to see her? She holds anger at your whole _coven_, especially mind-reader Leech."

Sam lost a little bit of his composure there, a light shiver adorning his form. Jared edged closer to Sam's side as we all moved forward in formation, and the whole pack was filled with fury. _'How dare they want to see you after they left you'_ was one of the similar trains of thought. Of course, It varied depending on the person.

Quil moved closer to me, standing in solidarity as Sam continued to speak on my behalf, the Cullens not knowing that I was indeed in the clearing. If I had my way they wouldn't know at all- because true to Sam's words, I didn't want to see them. I wasn't asking for much was I?

A flicker of an unknown emotion streaked past Alice and Emmett's faces, and I fought hard to keep my cool. A part of me was angry with them, yet another part of me hated people hurting. They were warring, between what I thought and what would result in the least conflict- even if it seemed likely at this point. My wolf had no such qualms or internal wars however, her own red hot fury melding with mine to create an unrelenting inferno.

_They hurt us. They left us without caring. Their cub hurt us yet they do not apologise. This is not how you treat pack._

I tuned out of what Sam was saying to the Cullens, preferring to communicate with my wolf. In the short time we had known one another, having literally been created in an attempt to save my life, we hadn't talked much. At all, really. Whether the other wolves communicated like this with their wolves I didn't know- I'd ask once this whole thing was sorted out.

Anyway, my point is was that she was incredibly eager to take my own angers and emotions as her own- I would have thought that she wouldn't care at the very least- because she hadn't been with me when I was attacked. You have no idea how long it took me to be able to openly admit that it was what Edward had done to me- attacked. I couldn't even say the word before.

_You are me. I am you. We feel, think, fight, together. Your pain is my own, my pain is your own. We are bonded. Kin._

Speaking of which, is my wolf even a female? Do spirits have genders? Have I been calling her-it-he the wrong pronoun the entire time? Now I feel ridiculously bad.. I know I wouldn't want to be called something that I wasn't.

_I am female as you put it. Do not be distressed young one._

Ignoring the fact she called me young one- I'm not _that_ young- I began to focus on the confrontation again. Sam was shaking more violently now, and half of the pack were snarling, bringing me to the realisation that I had probably missed something vital. If it had angered them, it was going to likely annoy me as well.

_The not-pack were providing not-pack-attacker with excuses. They did not expand. Just try to defend. Not-pack empath whisper that he cannot sense the pack's emotions. Displeased._

Well, I could see why they were riled up. And I was incredibly grateful to my wolf because she had managed to pay attention. I hadn't even noticed that I was snarling as well, ears pressed back in aggression. Giving my wolf the reins, she stepped into it easily, displaying aggression that I wouldn't have even been able to muster during my conflicting emotions.

"We need to discuss this with Isabella. It is a private matter."

They weren't going to leave, were they? Not unless they got an audience with me. Plus you can be sure as the fact that it's always rainy in Forks that I was most definitely not going to be with them alone. I glared at them, before deciding to consult my wolf.

Because I knew that unless they saw me, we were going to get nowhere. Or cause world war three. And as much as I was pissed at them and confident in our abilities, I don't want to get into a fight because of them.

_I agree. Show them that we are not afraid. That we are Alpha female and will not bow to them. That we are not weak._

I mean, she said it better then I could. Although, technically I wasn't Alpha female, because Jake hadn't taken the Alpha position- the only hold I held on the title was through him, and I wasn't particularly eager to hold it. I would make a terrible leader.. especially at the minute. I turned heel and slunk off into the undergrowth, without a backwards glance. Claws clenching deep into the dirt, and my eyes blazing, I was either about to regret this or get the closure I've been wanting.

**_"_****_I'm phasing back. Paul, Leah, will you flank me when I'm phased back?"_**

**_"_****_Are you sure you want to do this?"_**

Jacob interjected, as I ducked away behind a particularly thick oak tree, sitting on my haunches. Fortunately I had some clothes squirrelled away. I most definitely wasn't confronting the Cullen's naked- Christ no. I'm modest! I couldn't even stand being seen by the pack in my birthday suit. Ugh..

_**"**__**Yes, I need to do this. They don't even have any good excuse from what I've heard. I need to do this for myself."**_

Although I could tell Jacob was uneasy about the whole thing, I collected myself, and forced myself back into my usual bipedal form. I slipped on the baggy t-shirt, and the baggy leggings, before taking a minute to calm myself, trying to force away the tremors adorning my body.

It was far from easy, but after a few brief moments, I walked out, with the lithe grey wolf of Leah and Paul's own ashy grey wolf flanking me by my sides. Walking back into our clearing, with Jacob temporarily breaking away to greet me with a nose to the hand, I stood next to Sam, trying to convey my non-existent confidence. I was _done_ being quiet about this.

I was _done_ with the nightmares of Edward, the feeling of abandonment lurking beneath me at all times. I was _going_ to get my answers, one way or another. Surely I deserved that at least. I allowed my wolf to bleed through into my human form, and she helped to mask my light tremors, and hardened my eyes. Hopefully not to the extent where they would guess that I was a wolf- that was not something I wanted to give away right now.

"Bella- It's nice to see you again"

Keeping my expression a tight neutral face, and my shield even tighter, I practically chanted in my head not to lose it, to be civil. If I started screaming at them, or even worse phased, I wouldn't get any answers. Plus I would have a massive shitstorm on my hand. And I didn't have another word to substitute shit for in that sentence..so here we go. I think I've cursed more in the past hour then I have in my lifetime.

"Carlisle, family."

I nodded as Jacob pulsed confidence through our bond, as I stroked the back of Leah's fur in an attempt to reassure myself. Hopefully, the gesture wasn't visible to them- and that they thought that my scent was just masked by the others. It helped that Jasper apparently wasn't able to read my emotions with my shield up- perhaps it had gotten stronger when I had become a wolf? Obviously I hadn't been able to control it before.

Otherwise Edward could have read my mind- because I would have figured out how to take it down. Wait.. upon looking actively for the orbs, they almost seemed to fade into existence around me, and a massive purple one appeared out of nowhere.

I was willing to bet that this was Jasper trying to use his gift- and it occurred to me that I would have known that Jasper couldn't read my emotions. As I slackened my concentration, the orbs seemingly faded back into non-existence, leaving my sight clear.

"Why are you hanging out with _them_ Bella? Don't you know what they are?"

Carlisle gave Alice a look that clearly read disapproval, and I was focusing on schooling my expression so that it didn't look like I was offended. Funnily enough Alice, considering I was in a clearing with them, and not looking scared at all, I _am_ aware of what they are. It isn't as bad as you make it seem to be. At least they didn't beat me up and leave me for dead, or just abandon me completely.

With an incredible bit of self restraint, I didn't let her hear my rant.

"I am very aware of who and what they are Alice. And I'm hanging out with _them_, as you so eloquently put it, because they were actually there for me when I needed them."

Esme had a look of hurt on her face, and admittedly I felt bad. She had always been kind to me- sort of replacing eccentric Renee as my mother figure- but even she wasn't excused from the fact that they had left me. I hadn't even figured out if they _knew _what Edward had done to me. I guess we'd find out soon.

"They're _dangerous_."

She pointed out, which was only slightly hypocritical of her. Who was I safer with? The blood drinking Vampires or the people protecting albeit with minor anger issues wolves? I'll let you be the judge of that. Hint- it's fairly obvious.

"So are you."

Sam coughed, effectively cutting off our mini debate-turning-argument. Flashing him a thankful look, I turned to face the Vampires once more, hopefully hiding what I had been feeling. It felt wrong.. and I hated that I had to do this. Well, I guess you could argue that I didn't have to do it, but if they knew how I was feeling they could use it to exploit something. So, no go.

"Sorry,"

I apologised. Hopefully this would spur the conversation on, because I very much wanted to find out my answers. But don't assume my apology for forgiving them, because I wasn't going to forgive them _that_ easily. Not after all of this. Sam nodded slightly, before remaining silent, giving me a chance to speak out.

"So what is it you wish to speak to me about?"

I'm quite proud of that neutral tone. Not a sight of anger or really any other emotion- my wolf was doing well at managing the tremors at my body, and was also being good at remaining hidden. Thank goodness for small mercies I guess? If it had just been me managing my self restraint, I probably would have been phased ten minutes ago, blowing my secret in great proportions.

"Perhaps we should take this somewhere private?.."

A low growl emerged from my side, and as I flicked my eyes downwards, I could see that Paul and Jacob had switched positions, so that Jacob, in all his russet furred glory was next to me. Whether he was aware of it or not, he was brushing up against me, and I would be lying if it wasn't doing a good job of calming me down.

"No. Anything you want to say can be said here."

It was foreign to me for actually standing up for myself, but judging by the approval in the bond, I could tell Jacob was pleased. I ran my fingers through his course and soft fur, wanting nothing more then to hang my arms around his neck- but I couldn't do that with them watching. Was I ashamed of Jacob imprinting on me- _No_. Never.

I could never regret it- but I didn't want them to know so that Edward wouldn't ever know. I didn't want him to ruin another thing for me. Not this time. Because honestly, with his drastic personality change, I could see him trying to ruin one of the few things I had left- and I _would not_ let him.

Carlisle narrowed his eyes, before un-narrowing them just as fast, the rest of his family bunching closer to him. In response, the pack did the same thing, apart from the others who were hidden in the woods.

"You've changed, Bella."

Oh, Alice _so _did not get to pull that card. Both myself, my wolf, and Jacob bristled at the accusation, and three spirits worth of anger was far too much for me to hold. And so, uncharacteristically, I did something a bit unusual for me.

With the force of an explosion, I threw away my shield from where it was covering me (giving me somewhat of a headache, but I was hoping it wouldn't last too long), leaving it covering the pack, and retorted, fully aware that Jasper could now read my emotions:

"Well, people tend to change when they are _left for dead_ by _someone_ who _claimed_ to love them."

Judging by their shocked faces that I could instinctually tell _weren't _fake, they apparently didn't know that fact. Huh, who'd of guessed?

* * *

Key

_Italics - _Thoughts

_Italic_ Underline \- Speaking to Wolf

**_Bold Italics - _**Pack Speech

* * *

Author's Notes

Ahhhh! *hides*

Please don't kill me. I had every intention, believe me, to have all of the confrontation in the one chapter. But noo. It kept going and going and going and eventually resulted in _this. _I hadn't even gotten to what they wanted to discuss!

So, it's an unintentional cliffhanger. My apologies. This time I _wasn't _wanting to be cruel. Unlike the people who wrote half my exam- okay I'm shutting up now.

On another note, raining, raining, and even more rain. 'Tis the weather of Scotland. And I'm ridiculously cold. Like, 'I can't type' cold. If you were to look outside of my window right now, you would literally see tracks of water, and that's about it.

Anyway, enough rambling, here's a question. I have no clue who actually reads the AN (and I hardly blame you there), but I like to give them anyway.

What is everyone's favourite animal? Mine is a wolf. Just how they are misunderstood in the world, to their loyalty to one another (even if I feel bad for an omega in wolf pack structure), they are just my favourite animals.

Anywho, see you next time!

~A very cold Bookworm.


	11. Chapter 11 - Youngblood

Remember the words you told me, love me 'til the day I die  
Surrender my everything 'cause you made me believe you're mine  
Yeah, you used to call me baby, now you calling me by name

You push and you push and I'm pulling away  
Pulling away from you  
I give and I give and I give and you take, give and you take

Youngblood, by 5 Seconds of Summer, from the album Youngblood, released in 2018

* * *

"She's not lying Carlisle- I don't know why but I can feel her emotions again. She's bein' honest."

I'm under the impression that I wasn't supposed to hear that. Got to love the enhanced wolf hearing- it certainly did come back in handy. I quickly re-wrapped myself in my shield, with it happily covering my own mind, locking off my emotions once more. I hoped to get to the bottom of why they were here, especially considering that they didn't seem to be aware of Edward attacking me.

I guess that provided some sort of leeway with their actions, especially regarding leaving me by myself, but even if Edward hadn't done what he did, they still would have left me all by myself. Which wasn't right, regardless of anything else.

"What do you mean by Edward attacked you, Sweetheart?"

Esme's kindly voice separated the discussion the two men were having with ease, and it was then that I realised that her golden eyes had dimmed to onyx. She was clearly angry at something, but it was practically impossible for me to tell who it was directed at. Upon scanning over all of the Cullens, I watched each of their reactions. Rosalie's face had narrowed into a half-snarl, whereas Emmett was looking dismayed at something.

The scowl on Rose's face was nothing new to me, having become accustomed to it, but the expression on Emmett's face was foreign. The happy go lucky, competitive, jokey vampire I knew, almost seemed sullen, weary, and tired. It was a strange expression to see on a vampire, even stranger to see on him. Esme's darkened eyes seemed to be shining in the little light, and they seemed to be filled with venom. It looked like she was about to cry, if that was even possible for the vampires.

Carlisle's face was similar to Esme's, except he didn't have venom-filled eyes. Alice was tense, her small form leaning heavily into Jasper's as she looked shocked, and apologetic, rolled into one. Jasper's face was impassive, neutral, and impossible to see whatever emotion was under there. There was one thing in common between the family- all of their eyes were a deep onyx, and not the colour they went when they were hungry. Ignoring the term of endearment from Esme, I finally replied.

"You first. Why are you here? What do you seek from me?"

That came out far more formal then I had intended. 'Seek' Bella, Really? It sounds old-englishy. To my surprise, they seemed pretty willing to talk about whatever they had come to see me about, especially in front of the pack, who had edged closer and closer as we began to speak.

Jake was leaning into my side heavily, his heavy form being a comfort, and Sam was next to me, standing on the pack's behalf. So far, they hadn't noticed one of the wolves slink off, (aka, Bella wolf) which was working to my advantage.

"We came here to inform you about Edward."

Jasper began in his southern drawl, moving in front of Carlisle, and eliciting a growl from Jake. I could feel Jasper try to project calm as he walked forward (still staying on their side of the treaty line), but using my shield I nudged it to the side. Figuratively, of course. If he was surprised it had no effect, he didn't let it show. Not that I was surprised, because I'd imagine that in the army one had to get used to hiding emotions.

"Back millions of years ago, before the existence of vampires was obscured from the general populous, the humans gathered together with their primitive technology, and attempted to create something that would cull the population of vampires."

It seemed a bit off topic that they would bring in this little tale. There had to be some correlation between this and Edward, but I wasn't sure what. Judging by the confusion through the bond, Jacob didn't have any idea either. Sam nodded, gesturing for them to continue. I was beginning to get antsy standing here, and as much as I wanted my answers I could tell Charlie would want to see me soon.

"After years of experimenting, and managing to keep the investigation a secret, they managed to come up with something that would affect a vampire. It was a virus, something made to systematically attack us, disable us, and eventually kill us. But it didn't work as intended: rather, it caused mania and heightened aggression, and it twisted our perception into something that it wasn't."

That did sound horrible, for lack of a better word. Rather then jumping in with what I was slowly beginning to put together, I waited for extra information, hoping that perhaps I was wrong. Because if I was right...what kind of person would it make me?

"But there was another flaw- it only affected certain vampires. Many of the population could walk around those who were infected, yet remain unaffected themselves. The unaffected killed the effected, thus dooming the virus to be but a myth.."

Okay, perhaps I was wrong? During my inner monologue, my wolf silent and my mind being the only thing in debate, Sam took over from my outer silence. I gave him credit, he was calmer then I could ever be right about now.

"What has this got to do with mind-reader-leech?"

The _burning_ question. Or rather, the _glittering _question. When did I become so jokey- probably since I started hanging out with the pack. They were a bad influence. Let's not tell Charlie that though, otherwise I get to witness him trying to shoot a werewolf- several werewolves in fact- and I'd rather not expose him to that particular secret just yet. Or ever, if I could help it.

With him- and these were his words, not mine- Less is more. Of course, that was in regards to mother nature, and not in the regards to supernatural secrets, but still, the concept applies, right? Alice crossed her arms, still scowling a little bit, but had managed to pick up somewhat, vibrating with the energy she used for shopping. Let's _not_ tell her that I need a new wardrobe.

Not that I particularly wanted to go with her anyway, but I'd probably get dragged. And if I got dragged, I'd have to explain _why_ I needed new clothes, and she would probably smell my new scent- not to mention my own nose burning- and okay, _wow_, that was a slippery slope fallacy if I've ever seen one.

I blame RE for that...even if I haven't been back to school in.._fuck _it's been well over a week. My holiday was only a week! How has Charlie not mentioned this to me yet?! Taking a breath in, I forced myself to calm down, grateful that my wolf was masking my tremors and that Jasper couldn't sense my emotions.

"The virus re-emerged, centuries later, out of no discernible reason. By this time, the existence of Vampires had been shrouded over, so the humans could not be put at fault. As the virus surged from host to host, carrier to carrier, groups of the immune worked to find a cure. And that, they did. Using several of the captured infected, they managed to synthesise a cure, but they found out something crucial. In order for the cure to be effective, it had to be synthesised using the blood of the specific vampires_ la tua cantante_. Singer. Only the potency of their blood was enough to attack the virus and bat it back, The other ingredients were easy enough to obtain at that time- the blood of a werewolf.."

That elicited a loud snarl from the pack, who were evidently not very impressed at that fact. It took all that I had to mask my own snarl with a throaty cough, faking a coughing fit. As a human I was liable to colds- so if they asked, that was my excuse. I was hardly the healthiest person back before I got the wolf immune system.

I didn't like the idea, in the past or not, gaining the blood from a..brother or sister of mine, if you can consider them as such. My stomach plummeted as I slowly realised what Carlisle was saying, and I began to think that maybe I _had_ been correct in my previous assumption.

"...not your pack. Children of the Moon. Those who change under the influence of the moon. Continuing on,"

Carlisle moved swiftly on upon seeing the not appeased faces of the pack. The two species, despite being different, were incredibly similar, both sharing the form of the wolf. They were like cousins. The odd, estranged cousins of a family. Although, I was fairly certain that nobody in the pack had actually come across the Children of the Moon, but like I said, estranged.

"They needed the blood, because they needed it's properties to allow the Vampire's natural venom to fight off the virus. A werewolves blood is the closest thing to our own venom, easily being equals to one another. The third thing they needed was the ground version of hawthorn. While some myths suggest that it is incredibly poisonous to us, it is not the case. Like most things, upon ingestion, it causes no serious effects. However, a side effect of it is that it can thin our venom, sort of like an anticoagulant."

Upon a synchronised blink, from both the pack and Emmett (because apparently he hadn't taken a medical degree..then again I think I would be terrified if Emmett was my doctor), Carlisle expanded upon his statement. Which was probably for the best, otherwise we would have no chance of following.

"Blood thinner. A drug which thins the blood and stops clotting. In our case, it weakens our venom slightly, that while it sounds counter-intuitive, it actually weakens the virus as a consequence. The last thing they had needed was vampire ash. It was something to do with them believing that when a Vampire is burnt, the strength of that vampire is immortalised in their ash."

I'm now feeling incredibly disgusted. And also more knowledgeable about a nearly extinct vampire disease then I ever wanted to be. That was like..vampire cannibalism. Eugh.. Moving swiftly on, the long winded conversation seemed to be drawing to a close, and it left me none the bloody wiser. Or rather, it might have. But the Cullens apparently weren't going with the 'long story short' explanation.

"The only downside, was that the virus had to be cured by the next Bloodmoon, a total lunar eclipse that belongs to a tetrad of total lunar eclipses. It is named as such, because it not only is red in colour, but it was associated with giving Vampires unbelievable power: another myth. But something about what the Bloodmoon emits enhances the virus..thus making it incurable."

"It's a good story and all,"

I began, gritting my teeth in an attempt to hide the brimming growl. This had to end soon, otherwise there was going to be a large (yet small when compared to the others) and shaggy wolf standing next to Sam.

I could almost feel the stinging of the healed wounds littering my body, and the unbridled rage threatened to erupt out of me once more. My knuckles were clenched so tightly that I wouldn't be surprised to find blood- on second thought, that would be a _very_ bad thing to happen.

"But what has this got to do with Edward? You said that it had been doomed to a myth, and a cure had been created for the second incarnation."

Deciding that drawing blood in a clearing filled with vampires was a spectacularly bad idea, I unclenched them, before gathering a tuft of Jacob's russet fur. Keeping his eyes on the Cullens, I could sense him push comfort through our bond. But, I could also sense an underlying fear.

I ran my hands from head to his lower back, trying to assure him to the best of my ability. I made a note to talk to him later about it- because while such worry was not unusual for Jacob, especially after the vampire scare, I had a feeling that it was due to something else.

"The virus..recently resurfaced. It manifested itself in Edward."

Annnnddd _shit_. I wasn't sure how to feel. Some part of me, that I would like to label 'vindictive Bella' felt some sort of pleasure that he was suffering, like he had made me suffer. I didn't listen to that part of my mind very often, for a very good reason. Because I would likely be a sociopath if I did. My wolf still felt the embers of anger smouldering, but also seemed..impassive.

Like..she didn't really care. If she was a reflection of me, then did that mean a part of me just didn't care about the Cullens any more? I guess it was pretty accurate.. in the sense that I had no idea how to feel. I was conflicted. Does it make me a bad person if I was still angry at him? Even though he was ill?

"The day he left you behind in the forest,"

Alice began, speaking for one of the first times that it wasn't just directed at me. My hand froze from where it was in Jacob's fur, and he let out a warning growl as he moved to cover the front of my legs. Blinking quickly, and forcing myself to slowly unclench my hand. I didn't want to hurt Jacob after all.

"Was the day we realised that something had happened. Upon Edward not returning that evening, and his strange behaviour becoming more evident, we immediately left to try and determine what was wrong with him- and/or find him."

This time, I couldn't stop the tremors from emerging. I was just hoping they'd put it down to nerves. Sam put a hand on my shoulder, as I concentrated hard on not losing it. Fury was seething through my bones, my wolf pacing and snarling, and I was trying desperately trying to hold my form. They didn't think to tell me that they were leaving? Or, I don't know, _check _that I was okay before they left? _Especially _if they had suspicion that something was wrong?

Even without Edward, there was six of them- surely one of them had time to inform the 'puny human' that they were leaving, to be wary of Edward? Apparently I meant less to them then I thought. And that realisation hurt. I could sense Jasper pulsing out more calm which I ignored, and Jacob was nudging my legs with a gentle force. Both Carlisle and Esme were looking at me with a degree of concern, which, let me tell you, wasn't doing good for my temper.

Here's a fun fact, when a wolf (me in this case) gets heat up, and we start to tremble, it isn't because our wolves are trying to take control but as a result of too much emotion, which causes the wolf instincts and the human instincts to go to war with one another. Well, I guess I don't know that for sure, but I was willing to go by what my wolf said.

"So, why did you come back now then? You seemed perfectly happy to just leave me here by myself, without any warning! You don't need the human's help, do you!?"

As if on cue, my form began to waver even more violently. I was getting the feeling that my secret wouldn't be quite so secret any more. A crooning noise was coming from in front of me, and I realised it was coming from Jacob. It was kind of like a song, low and warbling, yet there was no sense of anger or fury. It was..calming, but not to the extent that I could stop from shaking.

Sam looked like he was debating whether to put an injunction on me, as his hand tensed on my shoulder. I was trying so _damn _hard to not phase, but the Cullens were just making me more and more mad with every excuse or lack there of they gave.

**"Bella. Calm down."**

He muttered the injunction under his breath, trying to make it as subtle as possible. The command reverberated round my ear drums, echoing and bouncing around. Any growl growing in my throat abruptly cut off, and my trembling ceased a little bit. Not enough that my form completely stabilised, but enough that I wasn't flickering dangerously between wolf and human. Judging by the Cullen's faces (shock, confusion, and most of all, scepticism) they had noticed either the power behind Sam's words, or at the very least, the conspicuous shaking.

"Bella.."

"Tell me, to my face, that you didn't just come back because you needed my help."

The trailing silence was all that I needed to know. Whatever was left of my heart, shattered into teeny tiny pieces. Esme looked at me with pity, Carlisle looked almost ashamed, Jasper impassive, Alice seemed dismayed, Emmett was quiet and perturbed, and Rose just had a snarl in her face.

My shaking picked up once again, and this time, perhaps sensing the inevitability, Sam and Jacob stepped away from me, as I could audibly hear Esme asking me what was wrong. My form shattered in a violent flash, and with a quick, anger fuelled phase, I became adorned with my signature fur and quadrupedal form.

Not looking back, I snarled at the Cullen's, lip curling up and ears pressed back, before I turned on my heel and sprinted off, my wolf easily taking the reins, as I enveloped myself in the comfort of my own mind, free from the torment they had brought on to me. In the background, I could hear Sam hiss at them something along the lines of '_This is what your son did to her!'._

Concentrating further my wolf could hear someone running up behind us. My wolf turned our head sharply and growled viciously, fully prepared to tear a chuck out of whoever it was, but it was just Jacob. He didn't make any noise, nor did he flip in submission, but she acquiesced and allowed him to continue following us.

Soon we were on top of the cliffs, where we sat on her haunches and threw our head back in a vengeful howl, nothing like the joy filled one we had experienced during our imprint ceremony.

Jacob sat back on his own haunches and joined in, the sharp and bitter tone cutting through the forest and warning all who were near to not come into our territory. For now, I didn't give two flying _fucks _about the consequences of phasing in front of them, because my anger was still burning furiously like a fire.

_**"**__**Mine."**_

Both me and my wolf rumbled together in synchrony, as Jacob stood tall and proud next to me, his fur bristling. He ran his tongue through my-_our _fur, flattening it down from where it had been raised, and was covering me in his scent.

_**"**__**Yours."**_

He agreed, in between licks. It was then I learnt that no matter what the Cullens did to me, Jake would always be here for me. He was my friend. My imprint. My other hand. And after all of the events that had occurred today? I was no longer scared of moving on.

* * *

Author's Note

Sooooo...Bella thinks that despite everything, she's received some closure about Edward. Even if it wasn't news she wanted to hear.

Now we're really moving into the plot- hehehe. And we'll see the rest of what was said after Bella left. And perhaps, the Cullens feeling a little bit bad about leaving Bella out of the loop.

So how is every one? I'm still full of the cold, but I'm feeling pretty okay. Gotta love this 'affa fine weather.' Wait, no, wrong place _and _dialect. Heh. Oops. That was Yorkshire..not Scotland...

And for all who celebrate it, happy Pride Month! I haven't done much to celebrate it myself, but I believe in what they do, as a bisexual myself. Feel free to talk about it with me if you'd like!

Here's this weeks question. What is everyone's favourite sport/instrument/school subject/video game. If you can't tell by the '/' that's me trying to make the question accessible to everyone. Feel free to answer all of them, just one, or none at all.

My answers are, in order, football, drum kit, computing science, and Spider-Man PS4.

This author's note is far, far too close to becoming a chapter all in itself, so I'm going to reign in my babble and cut it off here.

See you next time!

~Cait


	12. Chapter 12 - Live and Let Die

What did it matter to ya  
When you got a job to do you got to do it well  
You got to give the other fella hell

But if this ever changin' world  
In which we live in  
Makes you give in and cry  
Say live and let die  
Live and let die

Live and Let Die, Guns N' Roses, from the album Use Your Illusions, released in 1991

* * *

When Bella phased next to me, I could feel the raw emotion and _anger _coming from her, like a tidal wave. I had never seen that much emotion come from her, ever. The fact that she had managed to hold it together for that amount of time was commendable in itself- especially with her being so new to the whole idea of being a werewolf. It took a strong person to do that- and Bella was stronger then anyone here.

The minute she turned sharply, growling with the kind of emotional significance that said '_Do not mess with me!' _and was sounding more and more natural by the second, I pushed my paws into the ground hard and hurtled after her. I was _not _going to let her go through this alone. Not again.

The steady stream of her emotions was flowing into me like electricity through a wire, and it only served to reaffirm how strong she was, coping with all these emotions constantly. Through the Pack's mind, I pretty much got a live feed of what was happening with the Cullen's as I tried to keep up with my Imprint.

She suddenly skid to a stop and snarled with such venom that it almost made me take a step aback. I wasn't even aware she could hold that much animosity. But upon realising that it was me, she simple cut of her growl and returned to running, flicking a head back. She wanted me to follow. Who was I to refuse?

"_**This is what your son did to her!"**_

Echoed through my head, presumably projected by one of the pack. I allowed one part of my mind to concentrate on that as I pursued Bella, who was taking us through a very weave-y path through the forest. Sam had been the one to hurl that at the Cullens- he had become protective over Bella: as a matter of fact, most of the Pack had.

There was something about Bella that just made everybody want to like her, and it wasn't just because she was my imprint. Nobody deserved to be treated the way she was, especially by someone who claimed to love her. That was a betrayal of the worst kind.

"_**He turned her into a dog?"**_

Apparently one of them was really stupid. I didn't care enough to find out which one had said that. Just that he was a dumb-ass. Once we'd broken off the woods, I realised where we were heading- the cliffs. Somehow everything circled back to the cliffs.

She slid to a stop at the top of the cliff, and sat back, throwing her head back into the air, emitting a soul shattering howl that pierced through the silence with ease. I joined in with my own howl, but it was nowhere near as emotional as Bella's own. I couldn't even hope of replicating the emotions she was feeling, but I could empathise. Maybe that was all she needed.

"_**We had to do this to save her life. Without this, she would have died. And then you have the audacity to come back just to ask for her help when she was, quite literally, left for dead! But that doesn't mean anything to you, does it? Not as long as your precious mind-reader Leech is safe!"**_

Sam again. Definitely. All of the others were still phased, and Sam's injunction was the only thing stopping them from mauling the Cullens. Like I said, protective. As much as I hated to admit it, the decision of whether to help them or not was Bella's alone. I could dislike it or like it as much as I want, but it was her decision in the end. We just had to stand by her, unlike what the Cullens did.

"_**Mine."**_

Bella rumbled to me, scenting me as she rubbed against me. The tone was dual edged, her behaviour lacking human mannerisms. I straightened up, my fur still on edge from earlier. The entity that was my wolf, forever present at the back of my mind, was pacing, uneasily close to the surface.

He didn't like that Bella was this heated up, wanting nothing more then to tear them apart brutally. I agreed, but for the sake of Bella, didn't attempt to. She was my priority. In an instinctual soothing motion, I ran my tongue through her fur in an attempt to calm her down from her agitated state. I had a feeling it was her wolf mostly in control for now.

"_**Yours"**_

I affirmed, nosing into her side, and butting her body with my head. We laid down, head on paws as she snuggled deeply into my side. We spent our time like that for a few minutes as I both comforted her, and listened to the ensuing argument between the pack and the Cullens.

I very pointedly tuned out the Cullen's cries of attempted defence, because any compassion they had of mine (which was very little in the first place) was lost the minute they only cared about Bella when she suited their needs. What kind of person- no, walking corpse- could hurt someone like that? Let alone my Bella.

* * *

"_**Bella?"**_

I asked, as we watched the sun. The wind was mellowed, as if it was shy, and her stream of violent emotions had dimmed to some extent. Her brown eyes shifted from the sun to my own, as she flicked me with her lulled tail and her patched fur.

"_**Young One has allowed me in control, Mate, as she interprets the emotions that course through her. I do not wish for any harm to come upon you or her. You may calm your worry."**_

So it was her Wolf in control. It was normally a very bad thing..but then again when someone else had gone feral, their wolves hadn't communicated with anyone. At all. This was new. Very new. Worryingly new. And apparently, I just became the epitome of the 'rule of three'..damn English class.

"_**But have you ever tried to communicate with your wolf? We naturally draw strength from one another, but when you give a wolf no reason to trust- your human side may trust, but your wolf side will not unless you give them a good reason."**_

Why was Bella's wolf so philosophical? And rational. It was odd- her voice was disjointed in different places, almost sounding like she was uncomfortable speaking the language. Bella-Wolf stood up and shook her fur out, and I followed suit. She had a point that I had never exactly had a conversation with my wolf, but he was very blunt when it came to trying to control me.

Funnily enough, I quite liked being in control of my own head. Bella-Wolf huffed swatting me with her tail as we descended back down, the conversation between the pack and the Cullens drumming around the back of my head.

"_**Do not worry yourself with the Not-Pack. That is our burden to bare. Try coming to an understanding with your wolf, and perhaps the instances of the 'control' issue would be minimised. Try it now- I will be here to intervene if he tries anything. You have my word."**_

If Bella was carrying the burden of the Cullen's, then I wanted to help her. The fibre of my makeup literally centred around protecting her from perceived threats- and the Cullen's were very much a perceived threat. Plus, talking to my wolf did not seem a smart idea- what could he do to Bella? I could feel him pacing in that little cage at the back of my mind, contained in an attempt to reign in my alpha instincts.

Plus, how was I supposed to know if Bella-Wolf was being honest, and it wasn't a manipulative attempt to cause havoc? Bella-Wolf chuffed this time, ramming into me with her slight form. I attempted to ram her back, but she neatly dodged out of the way, before tucking back into my side.

"_**You seem not to believe my words, despite the honesty ringing out in them. Little One would like to speak to you- perhaps she can convince you where I failed."**_

Sensing the pack mind, it seemed to distort around where Bella's mind had occupied, before changing. Looking at my imprint (it pleased me to call her that) her form seemed to slacken some, displaying a more weary look rather then the rigid, angered structure she had been occupying.

"_**Bells?"**_

I was really struggling to reign in my instincts of wanting to sniff her, lick her, make sure she was safe as she could be. God, that sounded weird when I thought about it.. especially considering that we were humans. Normal people weren't this overprotective with their girlfriends...is that what we were?

A question for another time. Really, she hadn't even left me, but the sheer distress and..tiredness that radiated from both her person and the bond was enough to stagger me. I could feel Bella's shield shimmer and settle around us, before the feeling of calm was roaming around the shield wildly.

"_**Jake.."**_

She sounded so tired all of a sudden. After what the Cullen's did to her, especially their lack of care towards her, I didn't blame her for being tired. I would want to sleep. So much was riding on her shoulders: school (which she had been missing. Charlie had put her out on sick leave.), the shock of being a wolf, and the Cullen's needing her help? It would be traumatic for anyone.

"_**My wolf.. she's telling the truth. They want the best for us, not to control us. She..she protects me, even when I, myself, don't realise it. I trust her implicitly- and you know how much that takes me now. Just..for me, try to talk to your wolf? And after, we can go see Charlie..and talk about what just happened."**_

Bella knew I would do anything for her. I physically wasn't able to deny her anything; even something that terrified me as much as talking to my wolf. It sounds like a stupid fear, but all I had was visions of what could happen if I lost it. Images of Emily and Sam flooding my mind, only Emily substituted for Bella. But still..

"_**I'll try Bella.."**_

"_**That's all I ask."**_

She hummed, before I closed my eyes and delved deep into my own head. It was weird- almost surreal- because it was almost like I was just imagining myself travelling my mind. The colour scheme was rather bland, but soon enough I approached the iron bars that caged my wolf. Said wolf paced up to the bars, and poked his nose through the gap.

"I think we have some things to talk about."

* * *

I blinked back to attention, to find myself lying down next to Bella once again. It was disorientating coming back to my surroundings, especially as the surroundings before had been pale grey hues and steel bars. Honestly- and I wasn't afraid to admit it- Bella was right.

I had come to talk to my wolf, and I realised how misconstrued our bonds with them were. When his instincts warred with my own, it wasn't him trying to control me, but his attempt to protect me. Needless to say, after finding that titbit of information, I couldn't find it in myself to disbelieve him.

There was something about him, and Bella's words, just made me heed him all the more. So, it was safe to say, I hastily tore down the barriers I had erected, and the sight of my wolf running around happily before licking me heavily was one I could never forget.

"_**I see you heeded Little One's advice. Come, we will head pack to Father-Pack. Bella will take point a short distance before we arrive."**_

I nodded as Bella (because really, Bella and her wolf are one. See, I learned something from my wolf!) broke into a run, and I followed behind her. There was something freeing about running, especially that I no longer had to worry about my wolf taking over. He was happy, watching from the background of my own mind, comfortably and with an eye on our bond. If Bella could alleviate one of my fears, then surely I could do the for her. Right?

* * *

"Hey Dad."

Bella called out, as we walked into my humble abode. She was dressed in a casual clothes that was most fitting of her usual style, and I had a shirt on for once in my life. Something told me Charlie wouldn't be best pleased if I wasn't wearing one.

Craning my ears, I could make out the two calm heartbeats in the other room, and we walked through, seeing my Dad and good ole Charlie sitting together watching whatever game was playing. I tended not to keep up nowadays, having better things to do in my (limited) spare time.

"Hey Bells. What have you guys been up to?"

The flinch in Bella's brown orbs was far to easy for me to see, and I was certain my father had caught it as well. But Charlie had no way of knowing what he was stepping into, and as far as he knew, Bella had just been hanging out with us. In this instance, him knowing would make it easier on Bella...she wouldn't have to hide her trauma. But I know that she would take his well-being over her own any day. It was just her character.

"I'm fine..I'm just going to head up to Jake's room for a bit. Let me know when you're ready to leave."

Her voice was tight, and her emotions was barely hidden. She moved towards my room, and I edged closer to her, trying to discretely obscure her from Charlie's gaze. Fortunately, if he detected that something wasn't right with Bella he didn't show it, allowing my dad to smoothly change the topic away to something simpler.

"Yeah that's fine Bells. There's what- half an hour of this game left? We'll head home after."

Bella nodded, and we went into my room, and all of a sudden I was embarrassed over the state of it. It wasn't particularly clean, nor was it organised. Truth be told, I haven't exactly spent much time in it other the past few days, with the pace of everything happening. Sitting down on my bed, with Bella close next to me, we finally discussed what we had been wanting to discuss, out of earshot from our dad's.

"So.. what did the pack say?"

I was unsure of exactly what to say, because while I didn't want to hide anything from her, I also knew that it was going to hurt. Ripping it off fast would hurt, but so would doing it slowly. What would be the best way to go about it.

Sighing, I rubbed my eyes, knowing that I had no way of delaying the inevitable. She would learn either from the pack mind or from someone else if I didn't tell her, and I was the best person to do it. She trusted me like nobody else..she would know that I was telling her the truth.

"Sam.. well, he had his usual protective streak going. You know what he's like..he was incredibly defensive on your behalf. You'll be glad to know it didn't come to a full out brawl, even if the pack wanted to."

Judging by the rampant emotions flooding the pack mind when I had been chasing after Bella, they were _all _too willing to tear them piece from piece. I hardly blamed them in all honesty, because I was right there with that anger.

Out of habit, I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself. Whether it helped or not, I couldn't tell you, but it had become habitual at this point. A small smile- so small, it might as well have been my imagination- emerged briefly on her face, before it disappeared quickly.

"Yeah..it's sweet."

She paused, wringing her hands awkwardly, in an almost shy nature. I could feel the sadness and lingering anger once again, but it was shadowed over by another, stronger emotion: that of fear. She was afraid, of what, I didn't know. I reigned in the croon threatening to escape (because I was extremely self conscious of Charlie, even though I was sure he couldn't hear), and settled for bunching up next to her closely.

"..What else did they say?"

This was the part I was most dreading. The deadline. They had given her until the end of tomorrow to decide, before they ultimately would attempt to cure him anyway. With or without her blood. I rubbed the top of my forehead in an imitation of a migraine, even though I was well aware I couldn't get those any more.

Suddenly, the frame picture of myself and Bella when we were little was the centre of my attention. My arms were draped around her, and Bella was smiling with a gap in her tooth. It was the year before my mother died.. and you could see how happy we were together. It was back when things were easier, we were innocent, and there was no talks of wolves or vampires. I longed for those days.

"Jake.."

She prompted softly, and without even looking at her I could tell her soft brown eyes were staring at me, presumably wavering. God..I loved her. I hadn't told her nearly enough. She didn't deserve any of this..not the being half beaten to death by her ex, ill or not, being _forced _to make the decision whether to save him or not, fuck, all of this.

She should just be concentrating on school, and I'm aware of how awkward this sounds, considering that I'm younger then her. But, whether I was aware of it or not, I had been ready for this role all of my life, with it being literally told to me in the form of a story. But Bella? She was just a normal girl, who had everything going for her until her boyfriend got sick, and caused her to become one of us.

"They've given you a deadline."

I took a deep breath in again, trying to still my racing body and be prepared for the potential phasing of Bella. She had proven to have good control despite how new she was to this, but with Charlie downstairs, it could be disastrous if she was to phase now. Somehow, I had a feeling that it wasn't how she wanted her secret to go out.

"..until the end of tomorrow."

"Oh."

A one word answer wasn't what I was expecting. Nor was the lack of any distinct shake or tremor. She was as cool as an ice cube..and if it wasn't for the telltale glint in her eyes, I wouldn't have guessed that she had allowed her wolf into the forefront of her mind.

"How are you feeling?"

I prompted, trying to coax her into answering me but without pressuring her. I didn't want her to feel forced to tell me, but I wanted to know how she was feeling so I could help..I didn't want her to suffer. Vowing heavily, I promised that no matter what her decision was, I would stand by her. Even if I didn't agree.

"Does it make me a bad person if I don't want to help? Because he's ill and I don't forgive him? Am I a bad person?"

Alarm bells were ringing in the back of my mind (although that could easily be my wolf, he's pretty vocal when he wants to be) as I slowly, gear-grindingly, interpreted what she said. Her eyes were flicking downwards in a sense of submission, and I could practically sense the anxiety rolling off of her in waves.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to me, embracing her with the best of my ability. Pushing soothing thoughts through the bond, and trying to let my natural scent swirl around her in an instinctive move (according to my wolf it was a soothing gesture wolves did between their mates, and at this point, I was inclined to attempt it), and did my best to tell her that, she was, in fact not, a _bad _person.

"No. You aren't."

I stated firmly, thoughts about mangling Edward being sent into the depths of my mind. Because as much as I wanted to do it, it would hurt Bella deeply. The mere thought of hurting Bella was like slapping both me and my wolf on the nose, and cowed us significantly.

"It makes you _human _Bella. He hurt you, you can't expect yourself to forgive him. Hell, you can't even expect yourself to owe _them _anything. You heard it yourself- the way I see it, they only seem to care about you when they need you. Whether you decide to help them or not- the sheer deliberation is more then they deserve- the pack will stand behind you. We would maul them for you."

Bella still looked unnerved, and stress lines were evident on her face. Her brown eyes were wavering with emotion, and her emotions flowed freely. Opening her mouth to say something, she was abruptly cut off by a holler from downstairs.

"Bella! You ready to go?"

She stood up, and I with her, as we moved towards the door. She closed her mouth, before turning to face me one last time at the door. Almost as if she was torn. Before leaving, she moved towards me, blushing slightly, before kissing me on my cheek, her warm, plump lips meeting my hot (in the TEMPERATURE sense. I'm not vain you know.) cheek. I blinked rapidly, in disbelief, as she swiftly began to exit.

"Thank you Jake.._I love you_."

She added on at the end, her voice a whisper, exiting before I could shake out of my stupor. And I was left standing, shocked, no hints of murder lingering in my mind, and almost definitely confused, with one thought in my mind.

"_She loves me?.."_

* * *

Author's Note

Hi! How is everyone this fine week? I'm doing okay myself, even if I nearly managed to amputate my thumb the other day by slipping with a knife. But, I'm in tact, thumb and all. Which is a good thing, because I often use my thumb for the bar.

I'm also currently listening to the 'Circle of Life'...why? I have no clue. I haven't even seen the Lion King in years, but meh. It's a good movie in my humble opinion.

So, here's today's question. I'm pretty unoriginal here but: What is something that you look for in a song, and what are your favourite songs?

For me, I quite like it when they have a strong drum beat, guitar sections, and there isn't too much auto-tune going on. I've been told I'm pretty fussy. An example of noteable songs include, 'In the End' Linkin Park 'Sweet Child O Mine' by Guns N' Roses, and 'To the Moon and Back', by Savage Garden.

I'd better skedaddle (I really like the word), because I need to feed myself. I'm _starving._

Anyway, see you next time!

~Cait


	13. Chapter 13 - Man in the Mirror

I've been a victim of a selfish kind of love  
It's time that I realise

A willow deeply scarred, somebody's broken heart  
And a washed-out dream  
They follow the pattern of the wind ya' see  
'Cause they got no place to be  
That's why I'm starting with me

Man In the Mirror, by Michael Jackson, from the album Bad, released in 1988

* * *

Sitting quietly in the passenger seat of the cruiser which I had a love to hate relationship with, I was left with my brewing thoughts and internal conflicts. I had no idea what my decision should be- hell, I didn't even know about the consequences of my actions. Do you know how hard it is to make a decision without knowing everything first?

Well, you probably do. It is something that comes up in our daily lives I guess. But while there was one side of me that was whispering that I shouldn't care, that I _could_ refuse, but another part of me was edging me towards helping them. _You don't have to forgive and forget. But what will happen if you refuse? Will you cause a war? Will innocent lives be lost? Will Jacob be lost? _

My guilty conscience was doing a very good job of trying to make me feel bad, but my wolf was lingering, trying to justify both sides of the argument. It only served to make me more confused. _What was the right decision?_

Shaking my head in an attempt to disparage the argument for now, I turned to face Charlie. He was concentrating on driving back to my home away from home (because some part of me argued that home was where Jacob was, and God if that isn't terrifying) and I was relaxing into the fabric seat that scrabbled at my skin. It was a _lot more_ uncomfortable then I remembered it being, probably due to enhanced werewolf senses. One of the many perks, I guess.

"When are you feeling up to going back to school Bells?"

Charlie gruffly asked, briefly flicking his eyes to me as he concentrated on the road. I tensed my hands tightly, just out of eye shot of Charlie. I wanted to go to school: but with the prospect of my ex running around with an illness, it wasn't something I could really allow myself to think upon.

Honestly, it surprised me that I'd even been out of school in the first place, because Charlie was very much in favour of me getting a good education. I hardly blame him- but my world was so much bigger then he realised. Then he would ever realise if it was up to me.

"I don't know.. I'd like to go back..but things are tough at the minute. But I'm healing. It's just taking time."

Another grunt from Charlie, as he pulled into the familiar driveway. Stretching, and yawning, I rubbed my eyes as I waited for the car to stop moving. At this point, I just wanted to sleep. I was exhausted, dead on my feet. The faint glow of the street lights wasn't doing anything to keep me awake, instead making me even drowsier. Mercifully, Sam had given me some time off of both training and patrol, so I was looking forward to crashing and sleeping.

"Hm. How about you go back next Monday? If that's too soon.."

Today was Tuesday. The deadline is the end of tomorrow. Assuming we get to work straight away (and assuming I agreed), that gives me two weeks until the next Bloodmoon (I checked with a very helpful astrology website, well, several actually) and would give me about four days until I head back to school. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

When I went back to school, my hours were cut down significantly. It's a mess of timings and convoluted thoughts in my head at the minute, and it wasn't clearing up. Nothing in my life could be simple..we all knew that considering that my first boyfriend was a vampire.

"Bells?"

I blinked, turning to face Charlie, who had a concerned look on his face, creased and tensed. Shaking my head and almost banishing my tormented and convoluted thoughts, I finally opened my mouth to speak.

"Yeah..that's fine. I'm going to go up to my room?"

I have no idea why I asked it as a question, but I unclicked my seat-belt and swung out of the car with a grace that was still foreign to me. Charlie waved me off with a grunt and a gesture. He was very articulate wasn't he? Still, I stood behind him as he opened the door, and I made a beeline up to my room, where I was very much looking forward to collapsing and sleeping, also not looking forward to the inevitable decision tomorrow.

Softly breathing, and wrapping myself up in my room that no longer smelled of vampire, I curled up, and allowed myself to drift off, to what would hopefully be a peaceful sleep.

* * *

"I've come to a decision."

I announced, as the Pack gathered behind me, the wind whistling behind us and a group of distinctly embarrassed vampires in front of us. I was nestled comfortably on Jacob's back, my hands twisted deep into his comforting fur, and his calming huffs relaxing me somewhat. I knew he would have my back, and if I didn't trust him: well, I wouldn't have told him I loved him, funnily enough.

And I wasn't lying, there was a warm burst of feeling in my chest when I think about him, and he always made sure I felt safe and okay. It had taken a while, an Imprint, an ex who almost killed me, and a crisis later, and I finally felt the same way.

"What is your decision Bella?"

Carlisle didn't display any outward emotion, but he had also shed the human mannerisms he and his family cherished so much. At the moment in time, he looked dead- still, unmoving, and frozen. It was unnerving, but I stood (sat) tall, trying incredibly hard not to show any weakness. This wasn't an easy decision to make, and I had spent quite a bit of time trying to come to a decision.

Because this? This would affect both me and the Pack, and possibly even the population of Forks. The decision was bigger then just me..and my decision had to reflect that, and not just my anger towards the Cullens.

"I'm going to help you."

Jake's head whipped round so harshly that I was afraid he was going to give himself whiplash. The Pack weren't much better, snarling, shaking, whines that were interpreted as confusion, and several worried headbutts to my legs (I had since gotten off Jake's back) as they tried to understand my reasoning. I wasn't thinking along the lines I knew they were getting at.

To contrast with the pack's shocked- and other- emotions, the Cullen's were obviously relieved. Clenching my fists, and banishing the memories of what Edward, my former love, had done to me to the back of my mind, I went on to explain myself, before the pack tried to commit me to an asylum. _Do they even still exist?_

"I'm not doing it for you. I'm not doing it for myself either. Hell, I'm not even doing it for the pack, whom I owe more then anything. I don't think I will ever be able to forgive Edward for what he did- whether he was ill or not. At the end of the day, he still hurt me deeply, cutting into my very soul. I thought I loved him, that he was the one. So, I'm doing this for the people of Forks, to try and prevent any danger coming to them, so they don't have to suffer what happened to me. A wild deranged vampire on the loose could result in disaster for the humans, and now, my ultimate role is to protect those who need it, and if I have to cure Edward to do that, then I will do so."

Jacob's wet nose was rubbing into my hand subtly, a show of solidarity and trust. He trusted in what I was doing. And that was all I needed to confirm my decision- I could have the world breaking down the door, and shouts of anger hurtling around me, but provided that Jacob trusted me, that was all I needed. Carlisle nodded, and, with a soft, quiet, English accent tinted sentence, simply said,

"We'll get started on the cure..you won't hear from us after Edward is cured. We owe you that."

I acknowledged what he said with a nod, before turning on my heel and getting myself settled back upon Jacob's back, tracing circles in his fur as I shed a few tears. That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do..

* * *

_**"So, our primary fighting tools are our teeth and our claws. You know this from our previous training sessions. It seems primitive, but in this form, we have to use the tools we are given. When attacking Leeches, it is a good idea to stay out-width hand grabbing reach, because they can easily crush us if we are grabbed. This is why we largely pounce forward, before retreating quickly. Have a practise on me."**_

Sam wagged his tail in an attempt to encourage me, and went down in that classic dog taunting pose- you know, the one where they raise their back in the air, while their front was close to the ground. Yeah, that pose. I was feeling cautious, because my instincts were screaming at me _not_ to try and pounce the Alpha. That it was wrong, and that I would be punished.

Clamping down on it, I leapt forward on the balls of my paws, with a mock bite. My teeth snapped down on thin air, as Sam neatly dodged, with a speed surprising to me. I tried to back pedal, but Sam was quick enough to slam the side of his head into my side, causing me to go flying. Using the technique of rolling that Jacob had helpfully taught me earlier, I rolled as my body hit the ground, absorbing the momentum, and returning to a standing position.

It had been powerful enough to send me flying, but it wasn't hard enough to injure. Small mercies. It probably wouldn't even bruise.

_**"When you pounce in the way, try to not let your paws lock up. That can dampen your response time, which was why I was able to counter so quickly. When it comes to biting, try to not open your mouth too wide. Try to estimate how wide your bite would need to be, so you don't have too far to clamp down when you make contact."**_

_**"Okay."**_

I trotted back over to Sam, who had an odd look in his face. It wasn't a bad look per se, but it was one that I wasn't used to on his face. Upon me noticing, he quickly snapped out of it, instead taunting me again. This time when I was pouncing, I lunged forward, concentrating on not letting my paws freeze up.

Upon getting a clump of fur (which tasted as disgusting as it sounds), I neatly dodged back, getting a small clip to my side, but nowhere near as bad as I had gotten the first time around. I was slowly improving. Although, at the rate my life was proceeding, I might not be learning fast enough.

"Again."

Sam was like an army sergeant, but to be fair, I was the one who wanted to learn. I couldn't...I couldn't let Edward hurt me the way he did again: I had to be able to defend myself. I would have had to learn it eventually, but now was a better time then ever. Allowing my wolf to bleed through into me (I had already given several members of the pack the 'your wolf isn't your enemy' talk), I allowed her to guide my movements.

I waited a brief moment, curling up on my back paws like a spring, before lunging sharply, my mouth only open at roughly the side of Sam's flank. As he back pedalled, I pushed forward once again, my teeth coming into contact with a tuft of black fur, and the copper taste of blood. The minute _that_ particular sensation flooded my mouth, I quickly released my grip, throwing myself backwards as I spat out the clump of fur.

_**"Sorry, sorry, sorry- I didn't mean to-"**_

_**"It's alright Bella."**_

Sam soothed, a smirk lingering on his face. Jacob came trotting peacefully out of nowhere, presumably after my worried projectile thoughts went everywhere. He had been on patrol after all. Jacob bumped into me as he trotted past, before doubling back and returning to his route, disappearing from whence he came. Several congratulations were echoing round the pack mind, mainly from Collin, Jacob, Brady and Leah.

_**"You managed to get a chunk out of the Alpha? Damn Bella, remind me not to cross you."**_

_**"Go Bella! We can hold our own amongst these boys!"**_

_**"Well done beautiful- you'll no longer be a trainee soon enough."**_

Jacob had been understanding, when I had asked him not to call me 'Love' or 'Sweetheart'. They sound pleasant enough, but when they all had a negative connotation due to the Vampire's calling me it..I had grown to loathe the nickname. Much to my thanks, he hadn't questioned it, instead just _understanding_.

_**"Let's work on adding movement to our repertoire."**_

I nodded as Sam quickly licked the tuft of his chest, before shaking his fur out. The fact I had drawn blood..I felt ridiculously bad about it, because something told me he wasn't expecting it to happen. But he wasn't mad, nor was anyone else. They were _congratulative_.

You might find it difficult to believe, but I don't particularly like fighting..even if someone deserves it. Still, for now, I concentrated on learning basic manoeuvres, this time trying not to accidentally maul Sam again. Once was (slightly) forgivable, but twice was ridiculous.

* * *

The forest scenery was whipping round my ears as I pushed my legs to the limit, bounding forwards in an attempt to keep pace with the rapidly fleeing Sam. My muscles were burning from the exertion, as was my mind, but that was mainly due to trying to avoid the various trees and plant life. Last thing I wanted to do was headbutt a tree at full sprint, because something told me that would hurt.

You know when you push yourself to the limits when running track, and your muscles burn for like fifty minutes afterwards? Think like that, but worse. Infinitely worse. Now, you might be questioning why I would put myself through this: well, the idea was that I would get used to fighting at speed. A vampire wasn't going to just stand and go 'your turn to take a chunk out of me', hence the practise.

I could barely see the back of Sam, as I slowly began to realise that I was never going to catch him like this. I had to make another one of those choices that I loved so much. Do I continue running and hope that I could catch him by luck, or did I risk undercutting him and losing him? I could track him, but I was far from proficient at it, and it wasn't really point of the exercise. Quickly weighing each option, I opted to take a risk.

As Sam leaned to go left, I sharply cut left, running through a separate piece of land. Sam went out of my vision, but I could still make out his scent coming from the side of me: smelling like gunpowder, some sort of metal, and oil. The fact that he was upwind from me (meaning his scent would go down towards me) was serving me well in this case. The reason I wasn't using his thoughts against him was because I had agreed to settle my shield upon myself, so I couldn't have that advantage.

If I wouldn't get it in a real scenario (the mind-reading bit), the realistically I shouldn't get it in practise. Weaving through the trees, I slowly began to merge back to the original path, springing over a decaying wooden log and resuming sprinting. I could see the shadow of Sam sprinting, his tongue lolling, and I stalled a brief moment, before waiting as he crossed my path.

I pushed even more effort into my legs, and with a powerful stride, pushed off of the ground and tried to tackle Sam. Unfortunately, whether he smelt me or what, he saw me, and managed to sprint out of harms way, causing me to hit the ground, with my claws scrabbling for purchase. Sam skidded to a stop, his tongue lolling, as I tried to compensate for the sudden push of gravity.

Barely managing to not flop on my side, I sat up straight, my ears flicking in curiosity at the sudden stop. Concentrating briefly, I pushed my shield over him, allowing his thoughts to trickle through like water from a tap.

_**"Time for lunch. Remember? You said you'd go back and talk to Charlie after you'd eaten."**_

I sighed, which came out surprisingly humanly. Normally mannerisms didn't convey themselves well in wolf form, but evidently, sighing did. Fun fact. I had also agreed to what Sam had said, feeling bad for hardly spending any time with dad. That, and I had an impending phone call with Renee, because I hadn't phoned her in ages.

I loved them both, really I did, but it was hard to spend time with them sometimes, because I was so different. Both in the figurative sense and the literal sense. I took much more after Charlie then I did Renee..because I was much more quiet and introverted then outgoing, which was what Renee was like. Always talkative, hated being by herself.

I was the literal opposite. But despite that, I wasn't much like Charlie either, because I wasn't as...emotionally dense..as he was. Anyway, enough of that. I shrugged my shoulders, finding myself licking my paw like a cat...which makes me feel incredibly stupid. All these instincts..sometimes I didn't truly understand them.

_**"I'd better go them. You phasing back?"**_

Sam shook his head, his ears rearranging themselves on his head. The pack mind was oddly silent for once, and I found myself checking to see if I'd accidentally shielded myself and Sam by mistake. But I hadn't- it was just quiet.

_**"Someone has to keep these unruly pups in check. Besides, I'm about to relieve Jacob anyway. Go on- Charlie'll not want to be kept waiting."**_

Not needing any further encouragement, I slipped away behind the tree where I hid my clothes, before allowing my shield to settle comfortably around my own mind. Closing my eyes, and imagining the bottle analogy, I began to return to my human form. It was becoming easier and easier as time passed.

* * *

"I'm home Dad!"

I called out as I opened the door, my stomach full and contented. Emily certainly did manage to make enough food to satiate my stomach. It would've been difficult to explain to Charlie why I was still hungry after he fed me his normal portion, so I got used to eating just enough with him. Emily tended to feed me whenever I was over in La Push anyway, so it wasn't that bad.

For the second time in about a week, I was greeted by the smell of Leech. I wasn't too surprised, but I was pissed. I would have hoped that they would have had the sense to stay away, considering I wasn't happy with them and they knew that, but whatever. That sounded petulant, but I was well past caring. Like I said before, I wasn't doing it because I owed them, but because it would save many more people.

"In the kitchen Bells!"

Inwardly cursing at whatever sight I was about to walk into, I strode through, rubbing my eyes with my left hand. I was expecting either a burning smell (which I didn't smell), something vile (which I didn't smell either), or the smell of take out (again, I didn't smell it.).

Granted, the smell of Leech could have been overpowering it, but I still would have caught some scent, even if it was a whiff. When I walked through, I was extremely grateful to find the kitchen immaculate, with Charlie simply chewing a sandwich. That was probably why I didn't smell anything, because sandwiches were surprisingly scentless.

"The kitchen still in one piece? I'm im-"

I could hear the almost silent change in the air, and I twisted round sharply, a growl beginning to bloom in my throat. The atmosphere, which had been warm and homely, went cold so quickly, that it was unnatural. I could see Charlie edge towards the side, his sandwich forgotten, as he tried to make his way to his cherished gun.

The person in front of me was one I hadn't seen in almost two weeks, and one I would have been glad to never see again. Even though Charlie was behind me, a growl loosed from my tightened lips, as a light shiver adorned my body. He hadn't changed from the last time I had seen him, his bronze hair looking normal, his bronze eyes not having a speck of red in them, and his form loose and relaxed.

The only thing that had changed was the sinister smirk on his face: but other then that, I would never have guessed that he was ill. Perhaps that was why his abnormal behaviour hadn't been picked up sooner.

"Edward"

I was watching with hyper vigilance, my wolf on high alert, and Charlie behind me, trying to get to his gun. Even if he could get to it, it wouldn't do much, if anything, to impenetrable skin. Adjusting my position so that Charlie was behind me, and thus unable to move towards his gun. If Edward was going to try and harm Charlie, he would have to go through me first.

"Son, I will give you one warning. Leave now, and I won't take you down to the station."

Charlie didn't know quite what happened between me and Edward, but he knew enough to know I didn't want to be alone with him. It was sweet that he was trying to protect me, but threats would do nothing to deter Edward. All I had to do was attempt to phone anyone of the pack, to alert them to the fact that _Edward was here_, so they could come help me.

I wasn't foolhardy enough to think I could beat him single-handedly. As my tremors began to pick up in speed, with Charlie looking at me weirdly, another sickly sweet faux smile adorned Edward's face, as he stepped forwards, pace by pace, as I forced Charlie back in a similar fashion.

"Stay behind me."

I warned, keeping a wary eye on Edward. Charlie immediately began to protest, but every time he made a move to go around me, I made sure to block him halfway. Charlie was not about to become a casualty in something he had no business in knowing about: although it looked like he might be getting introduced to it if Edward kept approaching.

"Sweet little Isabella."

He grinned, his pearly white teeth being on full frontal display. I bared my own, thankfully obscured from Charlie's sight, otherwise he would be putting me in a lunatic asylum. After this, he probably would anyway. Taking a deep breath, I tried to sneakily get my phone out, but had to abort halfway through when Edward gave me a warning look. I couldn't risk Charlie's life- God knows what Edward was willing to do at this point?

"What do you want, Edward?"

Again with the sadistic grin, as he approached closer and closer, each step bouncing off of the walls and around the small room. Soon, he was only a couple of metres away, and it was miracle that I hadn't phased yet, even if it looked like I was going to have to. There was no way I could beat Edward in my human form..my already slim chances decreasing into the point zero zero region.

"Why, Isabella, _my love._ I want you."

As he dashed towards me, I quickly burst from my human shell, throwing Charlie back with the force, and a series of angry growls emerging from my own body. My wolf quickly joined me in the forefront of my mind, as I easily leapt away from his attack, the training with Sam providing me with some practise.

"This is new."

He remarked, as we began our deadly dance. Lips curling, I crouched down as he edged towards me. I was restricted in what ways I could move, because I couldn't leave Charlie undefended, and for once my shield wasn't doing me any favours. While I could, in theory, let the pack through, I had to concentrate to do that, even if it was just for a brief second.

But I didn't have a moment. Lunging forward, I tried to nip at his ankles, only to miss and be forced rapidly back as he practically flew at me with a punch. Jumping in the air, I quickly flattened my body as a kick was threw over my head, before swiping with my paws, catching his jeans and cutting through them effortlessly.

We were literally built to fight these damn leeches, (my anger allowing the name to flow fluidly and without pause) yet the task was seemingly a hell of a lot harder when its just the two of us. Well, I guess Charlie was here, but he was more of a witness then anything. As he flew towards me, I moved to try and counter the attack, but faster then I could blink, he moved from one of my sides to the other, and landed a particularly crushing punch to my ribs.

A whimper escaped from me involuntarily, as I realised that at least one of my ribs were crushed. I was no doctor, but judging by the agony, I could tell they were more then bruised. It looked like he wasn't going easy on me. Shrugging it off the best I could, I lunged once again, feinting for the left, but instead dodging to the right.

I managed to catch his flank, as I buried my teeth into it deeply, locking my jaw so it couldn't come out easily. That was my mistake. Because all it took for Edward to dislodge me, was to literally throw his leg to the side, and since I was still attached, I was slammed into the kitchen counter, feeling a couple more ribs go under the pressure.

A nasty creak emerged from my back, as I was forced to let go, rolling to a stop with wheezy breathes and a series of scratches down my ribs. I could see venom dripping from the bite I had made, but Edward showed no outward signs of pain. Whereas I was filled with it.

As I tried to muster my strength and lift my suddenly uncooperative body, Edward was quickly next to Charlie, picking him up by his neck and choking him, as he kicked and tried to escape from his vice grip. I couldn't do anything to stop it- I literally couldn't get up to even try and attack him.

_"S-Stop."_

I swallowed out, wrapping my shield around Edward as his grip did nothing to relax from around his throat. He looked at me, intrigue in his golden eyes, as I continued in vain to try and get myself up. Charlie's face was going blue, and I wouldn't forget the look of terror in his face for as long as I live.

_"I'll go with you willingly if you let him be."_

Edward immediately dropped Charlie to the floor, and I could tell he was unconscious. I laid submissively (not that I could get up in the first place) as Edward charged brutally over, picking me up by the scruff of my neck, causing my legs to limply dangle. Could I trust him to stick to his word?

No.. But I'd take the risk either way. I would do anything if it kept Charlie safe. _Anything_. I didn't have much time to concentrate on anything else, as with one fell swoop and a stereotypical cackle, all went dark as he knocked me out. My last thoughts were of Charlie and Jake, and how upset Jake was going to be once he found out. I was just hoping he would come rescue me soon..

* * *

Author's Note

At the beginning of Yesterday, I had thought this chapter would be short. I hadn't finished it, and was pushed for time. But I sat down last night, and spent two hours writing, and lo and behold, one of my longest chapters yet. So...enjoy?

I'm trying to think of anything exciting happening this week. Uh..it's Summer after this week? I can get long lie ins, which I love? I'm going quad-biking as well with some of my friends, so I've got that to look forward to.

Here's a question for everybody, what is one of your fondest memories? It can be about anything you want it to be. I do realise that this is deeply personal, so please, do not feel pressured to answer this one. You could tell me one random fact about yourself instead, or just don't answer it at all. Either is okay.

One of _my _fondest memories, is of my father, go figure. Most nights, he would take his semi-acoustic guitar, and he had an uncanny ability of just listening to a tune and being able to strum it. He couldn't read sheet music mind.

And when little me was in bed, I used to be lulled to sleep by his strumming. I still have that guitar, but don't quite have that ability. I'm trying to play 'Lava' at the minute, which is simple enough in theory.

I'd better go. because I just heard my Mum come back, and I'd better help her cook. Plus, this has turned into a _really _long Author's Note.

Have a nice week, and enjoy Summer when it comes!

~A sleepy yet inspired Bookworm


	14. Chapter 14 - Death of a Bachelor

I'm cutting my mind off  
Feels like my heart is going to burst  
Alone at a table for two and I just wanna be served  
And when you think of me am I the best you've ever had?

Happily ever after  
How could I ask for more?  
A lifetime of laughter  
At the expense of the death of a bachelor

Death of a Bachelor, by Panic! At the Disco, from the album Death of a Bachelor, released in 2016

* * *

The minute the heated emotions of _distress, anger, and fear, _ran through the bond I shared with Bella, I wanted nothing more then to run to her. But I was stuck, and I couldn't leave my dad alone in Port Angeles. Carefully trudging behind Dad, I whipped out my phone, slamming in Bella's number with such force that I was surprised the phone hadn't snapped. _Ring. Ring. Ring._

It went to voicemail, and I took a breath to avoid launching it across the store. I tried again, but to only get the same go-damned response. Trying to avoid phasing in the middle of the store, (because that would be a great way to give up a secret), I punched in Embry's number, knowing he wasn't phased and should be at home.

"Hey Jake-"

"Can you go check on Charlie and Bella? Something is wrong."

I skipped the pleasantries, as I could hear Embry getting changed in the background. Distantly hearing the sound of the door close on his head, he quickly muttered out two words, before hanging up with a sharp tone.

"Going now."

Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I purposely strode towards my father, who was wheeling towards the checkout. As I tried to contain my lightly trembling hands, he gave me a look, before nodding at me. I put the various items on the counter as the guy scanned it (all too slowly), with Dad wheeling to the bit where you had to pay.

"Let me buy this, and we'll go."

Apparently, I managed to convey most of the situation via my eyes. I consider that a talent. The damn cashier was scanning our items so slowly, that I was tempted to snatch them out of his hands and do it myself. My _Imprint _could be in _danger, _and this _idiot _was taking his god _damned _time when it came to scanning some _bloody _items.

After a few minutes of barely contained anger, a wolf pacing and yowling in worry, and a growl being choked down, he had finally finished scanning them. Dad threw the money to him, and grabbing the handles of his wheelchair, literally ran to the car. I was awaiting a return phone call from Embry, but my phone was staying stubbornly silent in my pocket.

Quickly getting my Dad situated into the car, and throwing his wheelchair into the back- I didn't particularly care if it got damaged, I could fix it easily enough- and slid into the driver side of the rabbit; putting my foot down on the clutch, turning on the engine, almost stalling the car because I released the clutch too fast, before slamming down on the accelerator, causing the wheels to spin and for us to speed out of the car park.

"What's going on? I could practically feel the anxiety rolling off you in waves, and was about to think I'd have to explain why my son could become a giant wolf."

"Something's wrong with Bella."

I explained, tersely, concentrating heavily on the road as I weaved in and out of traffic. While _I_ could survive a car crash at this speed, my dad most certainly couldn't. I'd rather not kill one of my last remaining family members.. My grip was tight on the steering wheel, knuckles white and my whole form still and rigid, trying to get back to La Push as quick as I could.

Bella's stream of emotions up till now had been constant, the feeling of abject terror, fear, and fury constantly feeding into the back of my mind, mixing with my own emotions, further fuelling _my _own terror. When it cut off though- that made everything even worse. Because there were two ways that stream stopped: death, or being unconscious. Even during sleep, the stream was still there, linking the two of us.

I would know if she was..._dead_...because I had heard stories of previous wolves who had lost their Imprints, and I didn't feel the hollowness settling in my soul, the shattering grief. But I couldn't consider that a positive, not when I still didn't know what happened to Bella.

As my phone began to vibrate, I tossed it to my dad, who caught it with a much gentler hand then I would have managed. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him answer, and put it on speaker phone, so that Embry's voice rang out loudly into the car.

"She's gone Jake- a Leech has been here. Charlie's unconscious at the minute, but we can only assume he's been a witness to it all. Sue's looking after him now."

Swallowing the urge to phase, I floored the accelerator even more, so hard I was convinced the pedal was going to snap under the pressure. Dad seemed to realise that I was trying my hardest not to phase mid car journey, because he took the chance to reply on my behalf, his own jaw set, and worry settling in his eyes.

"We'll be there soon."

* * *

The minute we pulled into the drive, tires screeching and leaving imprints (pun not intended) on the ground, Sam and Embry were waiting for me, standing patiently by the side. Sam's expression was one of anger, fury, and it was obvious that he was angry that this had happened. My wolf was pacing furiously and in anguish, feeling like we had failed to protect Bella.

And we had- I make no mistake there. But. Despite that lingering guilt, a part of me realised that other then staying glued to Bella's side until the end of time, there was _nothing_ I could have done, unless I suddenly mastered teleportation. But that didn't do much to relieve the guilt.. Embry moved around to my Dad's side of the car, retrieving his wheelchair, as I got out of the driver's side, with Sam instantly going to meet me.

"Who?"

"We believe Edward. The other Cullens are with Quil, Jared, and Paul, as they swear they had nothing to do with it. Charlie has just woken up, and is with Sue. He has minor injuries, but is otherwise fine, just in shock. Would you like to see him?"

I took a deep breath in, trying to calm myself down. I _had _to see Charlie- he could, at the very least, tell me about the state of Bella before she was taken. And, considering he was the closest to me out of the whole pack, he would no likely want to talk to me about the pack.. But I couldn't do that if I was on the edge of phasing. I don't want to give him a heart attack.

"Give me a minute."

Sam nodded, and I stalked off into the forest. I had no intentions of phasing, but I finally released the vicious snarl that I'd been holding in since the phone call. I slammed my fist into the nearest tree, and saw a hand print in it, the bark crumbling around it. To the best of my ability, I howled into the sky, as wolf like as I could in this form, hoping, naively, for a response from the one I loved.

As deer scattered, the sky splitting, and the trees vibrating from the anger, each returning my chorus, the one answer I was looking for stayed stubbornly silent. After about ten minutes, with the cold air being my only solace, I turned on my heel and headed back inside, where my Imprint's father was waiting, no doubt worried sick.

I'd have to tell him the full story to do with the Cullens..but I was going to keep him safe regardless. I wouldn't let him try and go after Edward by himself- and I most certainly would keep him safe in Bella's absence- I knew that would keep her happy. Something told me that, if it came down to Charlie or Bella, Bella would sacrifice herself every time- and I didn't find that a comfort.

Eventually, once I had a firm handle on my emotions, I walked to Sue's, where I knew Charlie was. And when I said walked, I do mean I literally walked, on my own two feet. You might think, with good reason, that I would want to be in wolf form, to try and find Bella. Truth be told, I would be spending a lot of time in wolf form later.. especially once the Imprint kicked in and would force me to stay in that form- yeah, a lovely side affect from the Alpha's imprint.

Because the wolf was a lot easier to search with, stronger, and able to track Bella more efficiently- and since the bond relied on the two of us being near each other, it wanted Bella to be found as soon as possible. It didn't have qualms about forcing me into wolf form. Anyway, the reason I wasn't in wolf form now, was because I knew Bella wasn't conscious yet- her side of the bond remaining stubbornly silent- but that she couldn't contact us, even if she wanted to.

In-between training sessions, we had investigated to see what Bella's shield was like: in order to hear the pack mind, she had to physically wrap it around at least one other wolf. Even then, she could choose whether we got to hear her thoughts or not. She could wrap her shield around me for over a greater distance then the other's, but once she was out of range (about ten miles) it became a hell of a lot harder- causing her pain for every second she stretched out.

And that pain only grew as the distance grew. So that was why I wasn't phased yet. Snapping out of it, I carefully placed my hand to Sue's door, knocking very gently- I didn't want to break it by mistake. She answered almost instantaneously, and I could see sadness flickering in her eyes. I ignored it, as she stepped aside and allowed me in, and I forced myself to put my anger to the side.

Going into the forest beforehand had helped, but I was still uneasy, and underneath that, _terrified. _I'd already had one near death experience where I'd nearly lost my Imprint.. call me selfish, but I was _terrified _it was going to happen again, when I wasn't able to help.

"He's waiting in the living room. He's got questions..I told him to wait for you. But he's adamant that he saw what he saw, so don't try and bluff your way through it."

She whispered, although to my ears it might as well have been normal volume. Nonetheless, I nodded sagely, rubbing my eyes before walking in, where I could see a pale faced Charlie, with a plaster on his face, and a wrist support on his..well, wrist. Sue came in with an extra chair, one a fair distance away from Charlie, and I sat down in it slowly.

Mirrors of my beloved's eyes stared at me, but where hers would be warm, his were hurt, hard, and flinty. But amongst all that, worried. He had seen his daughter presumably shift into a wolf before his very eyes, and I was glad to see he still possessed his protectiveness of his daughter.

"Jake.."

He voice started off wavy, his voice hitching for a fraction of a second, before he coughed harshly, rubbing his throat over a littering of bruises. Bruises in a hand shape. He removed his hands from his throat as I suppressed a growl, directed at Edward yet again. He _dared_ to do this to Charlie? A human no less?

"Do you turn into a-"

Choking on his words, he waved his hands, pointing at the picture of a wolf hanging on the mantelpiece. It was a picture of Edmund Clearwater- a member of my great Grandfather's pack- wolf, grey with sandy streaks running through.

A mixture of Seth's and Leah's wolves respectively. I nodded slowly, as I carefully watched him. He was standing still, calm, and hadn't made an attempt to attack me or do something just as bad. I watched him take a slow breath in, before taking a sip of whatever Sue had gotten him.

"Was Bella always?.."

He trailed off again, almost as if he was unable to say the word 'wolf'. I shook my head slowly, suppressing the flinch as the memories of that day threatened to overwhelm me. I shook it off, before clenching my fist, an action Charlie no doubt noticed.

"In brief terms..what happened?.."

I took a deep breath in again, my wolf pining for Bella, and our bond shut like the slamming of a door. How was one supposed to summarise the fact that Bella was beaten up to the point of near death by her ill ex boyfriend who is also a vampire, and we had to try an experimental legend to safe her life which then turned her into a wolf. Huh, I guess I _did _summarise it, but perhaps I should be less blunt.

"Edward..inflicted injuries that would have been fatal. We intervened..which saved her life but turned her into a wolf. We've been helping her grow accustomed with it."

Charlie, looking like he wanted to murder Edward- to be fair, we all did- glanced at me. I decided to not go into details about her shield, or anything else like that- because that didn't exactly fall under brief. It wouldn't really play an effect on him anyway. Realising that he began to get up, I hurriedly continued on with my explanation, trying to discourage him from trying to murder a vampire. It wouldn't go well for him..

"We're actively hunting for the two of them now, tracking them. The Cullens are working with us as well."

"What can the Cullens do?"

Judging by the scowl coming from them, I would guess that Charlie wasn't their biggest advocate. I had nothing to do with this, I swear! I didn't like to push my views onto someone..although I guess I _am _guilty of that considering that at the very beginning I had been trying to tell Bella they were bad. I was only too right..

"They..are mythological creatures just like we are. They are using their.._abilities_..to track her down. The only problem is, is that the lee- Edward, possesses those abilities too, so he can disappear well. There isn't really anything humans can do."

Charlie seemed to pick up on my slight stumble when referring to Edward, but didn't press. He instead slumped down on his chair, and put his hands on his heads. It physically hurt me to see him so defeated..but I clenched my jaw, and I could tell my eyes were flashing, much like my wolves.

"We'll find her. I won't rest until we do."

* * *

Bella's POV

It was dark. The floor was concrete, my claws scraping against them, not making a dent or any mark. The bars were thin, the surroundings dark, barely illuminated, even to my eyesight. Round my neck was a chain, thick, weaved with something that even my tugging couldn't snap. I was either too weak, or the chain too strong. Somehow, everything looped back around to not being strong enough. I paced the cage, the little room there was, trying to get out.

Digging the concrete floor did nothing but draw blood on my claws, and irritate my already injured paw. It hadn't healed right. Trying to slam myself against the bars had little effect, but only serving to hurt my already injured ribs. Edward had been gone once I had woken up, the only sign he had been there was the disgusting smell he left, smothering both the air and my fur.

I tried pushing out my shield, pushing out as far as I could, but it only served to bring me more pain. It was like having millions of drills into my head without any anaesthetic. Abandoning that for now, I focused on trying to search out Jacob through the bond, trying to ignore my sluggish feeling. I allowed myself to sink into the background, giving my wolf free reign, as I tracked back along the bond.

He was feeling vengeful..but also relieved. Presumably because he could feel our bond once again, but something was wrong with it. It was weakened..almost limp from my side. I didn't know what I could do to fix it, and my wolf wasn't much help either. She was anxious, a feeling I hadn't ever felt from the being that was usually confident and guiding. Looking into it, I realised it was the fact that we were caged, restrained, and injured.

It wasn't an optimal position to be in. Easing her from her discomfort, I forced myself to stand, refusing to lie down and _give in, refusing _to _accept _the pain. I had to get back to Jacob, to Charlie, to Sam and the pack, to Emily and the other Imprints. I had to get back. I had to _fight._

I would claw and scratch and bite and do whatever it takes for me to escape- because I had to see everyone I loved again. It wouldn't be goodbye like this. For once in my life, I was _going _to fight back. I didn't have to like it, but it was for a matter of survival. And survival was the name of the game.

* * *

Author's Note

Ugh I'm sorry this chapter is so short. I don't really have a good reason, other then the fact I had a camping trip the other day, and I've been pretty anaemic. I'll try and make sure that next weeks will be longer!

On another note, I had the _fun _experience of trying to change the strings on an electric guitar. Said electric guitar is probably older then I am, considering that it was my dad's, and with the combined force of me and my mum, managed to snap 3 of the original strings. That was a learning experience.

Before I bid you adieu, I have a question. What is everyone's favourite time of the year? I quite like winter: something about the snow, the various holidays in it (Guy Fawkes, Christmas, etc etc), and I just find it alluring.

Anyway, I've got to go..sleep, presumably _try _and get more iron in my system, and rub my eyes until they go blurry.

See you next time!

~A sleepy Bookworm


	15. Chapter 15 - High Hopes

Had to have high, high hopes for a living  
Shooting for the stars when I couldn't make a killing  
Didn't have a dime but I always had a vision  
Always had high, high hopes

Mama said don't give up, it's a little complicated  
All tied up, no more love and I'd hate to see you waiting  
They say it's all been done but they haven't seen the best of me  
So I got one more run and it's gonna be a sight to see

High Hopes, by Panic! At The Disco, from the album Pray For The Wicked, released in 2018

* * *

The world, God, or whatever was up there, seemed to have it out for either me or Bella. Or the both of us. Because so many things have been going wrong that I'm beginning to think that we're cursed. On the topic of what was going currently wrong with _me, _there were numerous things. Let's start with the most obvious one, shall we? My _Imprint _was missing, and _we couldn't find her. _It was like the god-damn blood sucking, imprint stealing, son of a bitch had disappeared into thin air.

His scent had carried a fair distance, intermingling with Bella's in a sense that churned my stomach, before cutting off abruptly as he crossed the boggy river. Every wolf we sent, and even the vampires couldn't find it after it had cut off. That did nothing to ease my worry. The Cullens were searching their usual haunts, and questioning several of their Leech acquaintances, while we were sending pairs of wolves to both search in each direction. It wasn't yielding much though..or enough.

The second problem that helpfully appeared was that there was something wrong with mine and Bella's bond. She had woken up a couple of hours ago, much to my grateful thanks, but her stream of emotions were like we were under water.. any emotions almost drowning; any emotions that I did get through were quiet and almost uninterpretable. It wasn't as strong as it should have been, and that was worrying.

Charlie, Billy and Sue- since they couldn't do much on the searching end- were scanning various books (including the one that they got the original legend from) to try and discover _why _it was happening. The emotions I had felt when the bond first subtly slid back into the back of my mind were probably very mixed messages- because I had the urge to maul Edward into tiny pieces, burn him, and then bury his ashes fifty thousand feet below me and then blow up the ground around it.

But, aside with that, I had been glad: at the very least, she was okay, worried emotions and small notices of pain aside. I could tell that she was trying to send something to me, but it wasn't working. You know when you connect two cans via a string and you can very make out small hints of what someone is saying? It was like that.

Then there was the _third _problem. Remember when I mentioned that I was going to eventually be forced into my wolf form? Yeah, that time was going to happen sooner or later, edging onto sooner. I was snappy and irritable, and prone to snarling or growling at a moments notice. Both me and my wolf were trying to push it off for as soon as possible, but to no avail. What I truly needed, was my Imprint to be safe and sound, but it was beginning to look like that might be later rather then sooner.

By this point, I'd exhausted all of my arguments and options. My every waking thought was surrounding her- I couldn't settle down long enough to even try and work on a car, and even the longest run wasn't even to drain me.

The only thing I could do was pay attention to our bond, watch it slowly deteriorate, as both me and Bella tried to tunnel along it to find one another. All I could do was feel the diluted pain of her trying to push out her shield to reach us, the pain of being alone, the worry of her trying to reach me, the unadulterated fear of Edward. And that, well, that was worse then missing her at all.

Which was how I was halfway to Canada. Or there abouts. It was becoming harder and harder as the days passed to remain in human form as the length of Bella's abduction increased. And since my body was hardwired to remain awake until I'd found her, it left me patrolling and running, and doing _anything _to tire me out. It hardly ever worked, of course.

The Cullens were taking their sweet damn time- and I _loathed _the fact that we had to trust them, before I blatantly didn't- asking their sources, and despite the pack's best efforts, and _Charlie's _searching through CCTV, we had no idea where they were, or even where they were heading. Edward, as much as I hated to admit it, had done a damn good job of A. Carrying a horse sized wolf, and B. avoiding the cameras. Of course, with a mind reaching ability..

Shaking my head off that thought, I tried to use the bond like a compass. You know, find the direction where is the bond is strongest and track it that way. But it was being stubborn, and uncooperative. It was torturous, to have Bella so _near_ mentally, yet out of my reach. Skidding to a stop, I caught my breath, looking at my surroundings. The flowers were breathing, dancing, petals and pollen swirling around me in the air.

The thick brushes of trees standing tall, watching and looming, just like soldiers. The wind travelling around like a soothing melody. Yet to me, it all seemed dead. Cutting in between my dismal thoughts, the familiar tone of my phone was ringing. I'd taken to wearing a small satchel that hooked round my neck much like a collar (but it wasn't. I don't appreciate being compared to a dog) so I always had it with me in the case of any news.

I wriggled out of it with a shake of my head, and nosed the pouch open, before practically clawing the 'answer call' button. Funnily enough, I had several claw marks on my phone by this point. I sat down on my haunches, being able to hear the tinny voice coming from the phone as clearly as I could had it been next to my ear. Almost hyper-vigilant, I focused at the phone, with my surroundings blurring around me.

"Jacob? We have news about where Bella might be. Come back."

I barked twice in an affirmative, before the dial tone hung up. Nudging the phone back into the pouch, and slipping it back on (like Bella did with her bracelet..) I did a complete one eighty, and pushed my paws deep into the ground as I hurtled back to La Push, blood pounding in my ears. For the first time in a few days, I had _hope. _And that was more then I'd had minutes prior. That's why I ran at my fastest, my mind being a perfect combination of the wolf and the human, joined together by one goal- to rescue our _Imprint._

* * *

I had made it back in record time. Several others had phased in, distinguishable pulses merging into the pack mind, as the unanimous message to meet at the former treaty line were sent. I skidded off from the course home, instead making a sharp turn and heading towards the treaty line. By the time I had gotten there, Sam, as our resident ambassador, was standing up at the front of us, as the rest of the pack gathered behind him.

The pack parted as I walked up to wait at Sam's side, taking place next to Sam. The Cullen's, minus the tall butchy one and the snarky bitchy blond, were standing at their side, with Doctor Leech standing at the front. I fought hard to swallow my emotions down, knowing that Empath Leech could read us all since Bella wasn't here. Still, Sam began our meeting, as I watched with wary brown eyes and hackles just itching to be raised.

"What lead do you have?"

Sam spoke clearly, with no sense of worry or fear. He spoke like a leader, even if the underlying tenor of his voice was more that of a Beta then an Alpha. Maybe one day I would reconsider whether I should take my position or not. I'd have to talk with Bella if- _when _we found her.

"Jasper and Alice travelled up to meet our cousins, another vegetarian coven, up in Alaska. From them, we learned that there was a possible sighting of Edward, heading south, towards Anchorage."

What's in Anchorage? Was the question in my mind. Of course, there's nothing to suggest that he _had _been going to Anchorage, but let's face it, Alaska is hardly the most occupied place. But then again, it was a relatively easy place to run around with a massive wolf in your arms. Sam seemed to narrow his eyes, as I ground my teeth in an attempt to not say something I was going to regret (because the more people who were looking for Bella, the better), before taking a calming breath in.

"Do we know what his intentions are in Alaska?"

Empath Leech shook his head, his face as blank as a slate, and a small bit of my hope died. But I refused to give up. I would find her, and I wouldn't give up until she was safe in my arms. And if the worst happened...nothing could stop me from tearing him limb from limb. And I mean, limb from limb.

"Edward is capable of flying several aircrafts of varying size. While none of ours were taken, it is possible that he stole one, in which case he could be anywhere in the world. We are watching and investigating the airport to see if he could have taken a plane."

That would suggest where the tall butchy Leech and snarky bitchy blond were. I looked at Sam, who was deep in thought it looked like. The pack mind was oddly silent, as the whole conversation between Leech and wolf came to a stop.

"I'm going to send some wolves to Alaska. Jacob and Jared, and Embry and Seth. They will travel up and do some investigating of their own."

There was a lack of a question in Sam's words, no asking for permission, no hint of indecision in his voice. As there shouldn't. We had a right to look for our missing pack member, especially if they were an Imprint, such as in Bella's case. I almost thought we'd come to blows, but Carlisle seemed willing to acquiesce. Which was good for us, as we hardly had any time to argue. Well, we had _better _things to do then argue over something something so pitiful. Carlisle nodded in response, without much sense of argument.

"Would you like to use our private aircraft to travel?"

There was no sense of an underlying question, as I scrutinised Carlisle's face. He seemed to be making an honest offer, and as much as I hated the Leeches, I was willing to sacrifice a lot if it meant I could save Bella faster. Admittedly, flying to Alaska was a lot faster then us running, even if we travelled through the day and night.

And while we could use a public flight, not only would it be difficult for those of us who were stuck in their wolf forms (read, me.), but it would be expensive and tough for us to get a plane last minute. Especially for those of us who didn't have passports. So really, taking this option was the most beneficial for us. Jared, Embry, and Seth turned to approach me, as we gathered in a small circle, our differing forms almost clashing together.

"_**The decision is up to you Jacob. I'll suffer through the plane ride if it means that you and Bella are reunited."**_

Those were Jared's words, wise and almost old for his age. Seth, gangly wolf and awe, nodded in agreement, as did the normally quiet Embry. The words of thanks didn't drip from my tongue, caught up in the sheer amount of loyalty that the pack had to me. But I could tell that they received my unspoken message, and for that, I was grateful.

Turning back to face Sam, and breaking our little impromptu circle, I headbutted Sam in the lower leg. As he looked down at me, I made a nodding gesture, before flicking my head in the general direction of the Cullens. Accepting their deal was a necessary evil, one I was willing to go along with if, like I said before, if it meant saving my Imprint.

"We would like to accept your offer."

Admittedly, the whole idea of flying wasn't one that appealed to me. It was just one of those forms of transport that I hated- even before I became a wolf. Having my feet off the ground.. the lack of control, it was just something that made me nervous. Of course, when you are currently in wolf form, that feeling was made fifteen times worse. I was just grateful that I didn't have to go in the cargo hold..rather being allowed to sit on a chair which had been slightly lowered for my benefit.

Also, it turns out werewolves suffer badly from our ears popping, because it hurt like a damn. My guess would be because we are more sensitive to thing around us, especially hearing. That would be my explanation anyway. I managed to ignore it well enough though. Although I had to hand it to the Cullens: they had a nice ass plane. It wasn't a small one like I was anticipating, but a full and long jumbo liner.

For the sake of 'our comfort' they said, the four of us were in the back, while the two of them (Carlisle and Psychic Leech.) were at the front, flying the plane. We were told to help ourselves to whatever we wanted, but we hadn't taken up on that. None of us felt comfortable handling or ingesting something that a Leech had touched. We had the sense to bring our own provisions- especially for a 17hr flight.

Well, I had googled the rough time it would take, but if the Leeches flying skills were anything like their supposed driving skills, then it would probably take us half the time. God only knows what they had done to this plane. I don't think I wanted to know. Regardless, I curled up in a ball, and tried to catch up on some of my missed sleep. It wasn't like I could do anything almost thirty one thousand feet in the air.

* * *

Bella's POV

I had lost track of time. For all I knew, it could have been a matter of days, weeks, or even months. I doubted the latter though. I had been moved though, that was all I knew. When I had first woken up, in the cage, my surroundings had been cold, but not overly so. Edward had come in since then, cruel and sadistic in all his glory. If he truly claimed to love me, then why would he kidnap me like this?

Why would he force me to stay in my wolf form? Treating me like I was nothing more then a dog? There were no thoughts of mine that I could use to even come to a reason why, other then the fact that he was ill. And that seemed to be a running theme lately.

"Ah _Isabella. _It's time for us to move I'm afraid: The _dogs and co _have caught on to where we are."

I didn't dignify that with a response, pointedly ignoring him. It sounded petulant, but I was hardly in the best of moods. Do you blame me? A part of me wanted to stand up to him, to snarl and bite and claw until he finally gave up this hopeless crusade, but the rational part of me was telling me that it was a very stupid thing to do. Trying to claw someone when there were thick and heavy chains dragging you down was easier said then done.

Where the hell he got these damn things I had no clue, but I was beginning to want to burn them to shreds. Edward, apparently displeased with my lack of a decent response, grabbed me by my scruff as I tried to dodge away, wincing at the pain. He yanked me close to the bars, and slowly wrapped his free hand around my chained throat.

Not only was he cutting off my oxygen, but the cold chain loops were digging deep into my neck, leaving red and angry marks. I flailed awkwardly, my limbs numb and uncooperative, as I tried to scratch him with my hind legs, or do anything to get him _to release my throat._

"You DO NOT ignore me Isabella!"

He threw me to the back of the cage with a strong degree of force, causing me to land rather awkwardly on my already injured ribs. I was too busy inhaling air like it was the tastiest food on earth however to really concentrate on the pain. Without much further grace or care or even more abuse, he picked up the cage I was held captive in, and loaded it onto what could have been anything. I could hardly see, but judging by the soft smell of rubber, I would guess I was in a trailer.

Further using my powers of deduction, I came to the conclusion that something was blocking the outside of the cage. Something that Edward could pull back whenever he felt like it, it seemed. Trying to ignore the odd dilution of my senses that I had slowly gotten used to, and the confining nature of the chains and cage, I tried to look for anything that I could to help the wolves find me. It seemed like they were on our tail, if Edward felt the need to move.

And I was glad, because while I had enhanced durability due to my wolf, there was only so much I could take. Licking my wounds, I could faintly hear the sound of metal meeting metal, like a door closing, but it was difficult to make out. Whatever Edward had done to dull my senses was working too well for my liking: and left me with a sense of weakness that I fought hard to conceal.

Like many other things. The dulled sounds and the vibrations of an engine came to my notice, before the air became noticeably thinner, and my ears began to feel like they were popping. Something else to add to my 'What I Despise About This Scenario: Bella's Discomforts and Felt Iniquities'.

That should be the name of my memoirs- although they would have to be pretty damn edited. I could hardly mention the whole 'Vampire Vs Wolves' thing could I? That was something to think about later, one of many half finished thoughts created to try and distract me.

However, there was _one_ thing that I knew for certain- we were in the air. Having been on many flights in my lifetime, I had grown to recognise the feeling of going into the air. And if that realisation didn't make my stomach feel like it was about to plummet, then I don't know what would.

* * *

Author's Note

Did I use a Panic! At The Disco Song twice for a chapter title? Yep. Do I care? Not really. I really like the band.

On another note of borrowing something, 'We're in the Endgame now'. Quite an apt phrase, I think, to be used in this circumstance. Once Jacob and Co have found Bella, we'll be finally seeing the outcome- Will Edward be cured? Will he be mangled? What will the consequences be? Several questions that presumably will need to be answered.

Right, time to talk about Reviews. Thank you, to everyone who reviews! I really do appreciate it. I do send you all replies back, but for the guest reviewers or for people who have PM's disabled, I'll quickly address you guys here.

MammaNita4 - Thank you for your several reviews, across the now numerous chapters of this story. I read every single one, and I really appreciate all of your comments. I'm sorry I haven't mentioned your other ones, or addressed them. I always mean to, but I've got the memory like a sieve on the best of days. So, my apologies about that. Bella's shield was on, but it doesn't have a physical manifestation as of yet, so while it protected Bella and Charlie from the _telepath _part, it couldn't protect them physically. I hope that clears it up.

Tabi123 - Thank you for your review for last chapter. I really appreciate your support, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I can't say I'll _never _stop, but I'll keep going until I physically can't! I hope that's an okay compromise. Also, if you've drawn fanart, I'd _love _to see it! But only if you'd want to, of course. I've never had someone, other then me, draw something for my stories. I really, really, _really, _appreciate it! And in regards to the typos, I do try to double check for errors, but sometimes they slip in, unnoticed by me. I'll try to improve on it, so I'm grateful for the comment.

With that concluded, I don't really have much else to say. Haven't got much to mention either. I'm in England now? For those of you who are interested, I'm here to see my family, who I only see once or twice a year. Other then that, not much has happened. So here's the weekly question, if you could have any celebrity as a friend, who would it be? I think it would either be Brendon Urie (of Panic! At The Disco. Seriously, who doesn't like his joy and cheer and musicianability [Yes, that's a word I've just created] or Tom Holland (His accent is amazing, and has a similar infectious laughter and joy as Brendon has. Helps that he's a Marvel Lover)

One, final, final thing. If anyone wants to ask me any questions, please feel free. I'm pretty open to most questions, provided it isn't asking after my address.

Anyway, I need to go get food. I'm _starved._

Have a nice week and I hope to see you next time!

~Cait


	16. Chapter 16 - Wish You Were Here

Did they get you to trade  
Your heroes for ghosts?  
Hot ashes for trees?  
Hot air for a cool breeze?  
Cold comfort for change?  
Did you exchange  
A walk on part in the war  
For a lead role in a cage?

How I wish, how I wish you were here  
We're just two lost souls  
Swimming in a fish bowl  
Year after year  
Running over the same old ground  
And how we found  
The same old fears  
Wish you were here

Wish You Were Here, by Pink Floyd, from the album Wish You Were Here, released in 1975

* * *

Bella's POV

The surrounding cold was almost enough to shrug off the pain in my pitifully empty stomach. Wherever I had been moved to, it was definitely cold. Well that, and small snowflakes seeped through the blanket or whatever it was on the cage definitely helped to confirm. The thing was, it wasn't like I had access to the pack mind. For all it's benefits, my shield was most definitely _not_ a benefit at the minute.

I had tried to push it away like I did when Jasper was trying to read my emotions, but it was surprisingly difficult. Or not surprisingly to be honest- there wasn't an exact science to it. What's the best way to put this. It's like ripping off wallpaper. Without a slit or an edge to pull, it's difficult to pry it off., or even move. That's why it's so good- because it's easy to install in large chunks, and allows for more complicated designs then paint does.

Of course even if I _could_ switch it off, it's not like I can tell them where I am. There are tons of cold countries in the world: Canada, Mongolia, Estonia, Iceland, Russia, etc etc. While I had counted the time I was on the plane- Seventeen hours and fifteen minutes by the way- even that wouldn't be much use. It would narrow it down quite a bit, but remember: Edward is a reckless driver/pilot. It could have cut down the time by any amount. Thus, making it difficult to track.

Still, with nothing better to do then lick my wounds, nurse my ribs, and commune with my wolf- who was becoming more quiet as time went on- I kept trying to get through to Jacob, either through our diminishing bond or the pack mind. I tried to chip away at my own shield, but it physically hurt. To describe it, it felt like shoving a needle through your ear as a werewolf.

It hurts as you push it through bit by bit, but it was slowly giving way. Then you take a brief break, and before you know it, it's healed. Leaving you back at square one. That was basically the situation I was in, but the pain amplified. It just made a shitty position even worse.

Of course, to make it even worse, Edward came back. In the middle of me trying to pry a metaphysical hole in my head. He moved the blanket, causing me to be harshly attacked by an influx of senses. I flinched back in surprise, but only to press against the cold bars. For a brief moment, I'd forgotten about the confining nature of the, well, cage. I almost came to the conclusion that somehow, _the blanket_, had to do with my senses being dulled, my bond being weakened.

I know, stupid.

But that was just stupid in the sense that it wasn't possible. Well, that, and the fact that removing the blanket hadn't made a difference. Whatever Edward did, this was _remarkably_ methodical for a disease that caused 'mania and heightened aggression.' As I looked up unflinchingly into his eyes- unwilling to show fear- his ruby red eyes brought me alarm. He had slipped from the diet.. Honestly, I didn't know what to think any more. Like I mentioned before, he was remarkably coherent.

"I've got someone for you to meet Isabella. You might remember her."

Why did I have a feeling of foreboding..who on earth could he possibly have that would want to see me suffer? I didn't exactly make a habit of making enemies. I shifted around, favouring my left leg, while still keeping eye contact. Didn't have to be a perfect warrior to realise that taking your eyes off an enemy would be a very bad idea.

From behind Edward, I was greeted by someone I thought I'd never see again. A redhead with a matching pair of ruby red eyes, and a wicked looking snarl staring back at me. A face I hadn't seen since last year, where her partner gave me a crescent shaped scar on my palm, and pumped my then-mortal body full of her poison.

_Victoria__._

* * *

Jacob's POV

Alaska was cold. Perhaps not quite as cold as some places, but cold nonetheless. The chill nipped at my fur like a cheeky puppy, the wind leaving it's mark deep into my skin. Even with my exaggerated heat, I was not invincible from the cold. Resistant yes, but not immune. But the snow wasn't immune to me either- if you looked at my paw prints in the snow where it melted the surrounding area into a grey sludge.

We had ended up landing at a private airstrip about fifteen miles shy of Denali, and after the hours spent on the plane, I was longing to stretch my limbs. Shaking further snow off of my back, I couldn't help but look at my company. Upon landing- which was a tumultuous and smooth endeavour- we had been greeted by a trio of what looked like people. I knew better then that of course, because these were the Leeches' _contacts_.

The only human contacts they held were Bella, and of course that bridge had been burnt a long time ago.

Even if I somehow thought they were human, the hints that they weren't were all there. The godawful smell; not at all dampened by the snow, the golden eyes; inhuman and immoral in their unjustified glory, their stances; not quite human, almost seeming forced rather then smooth and natural. Carlisle and Psychic Leech stood a fair distance in front of us, as Jared stood in front of us in human form, as the others phased.

Normally it would be the Beta that would act as ambassador, but since I was currently indisposed, Jared had taken that roll, standing authoritative and tall, an echo of what my position would be if I had been doing it. Still, I leaded the trio of us who were in wolf form, with Seth and Embry flanking my sides protectively. If the trio of Leeches were surprised at our presence, they didn't show it.

There were no outward signs of hesitation, or even surprise, just cold golden stares. Doctor Leech stood forwards, nodding his head in that odd formal way that only someone of a certain profession could muster. Psychic Leech nodded as well, her hand waving a small gesture before returning to her side.

"Irina, Tanya, Kate, I wish we were seeing you under better circumstances."

I gritted my teeth, swallowing a vicious growl. My instincts were haywire, screaming_ 'Danger Danger, Imprint in Danger, Vampire in Vicinity', _but biting their heads off or attacking them unprovoked would be a very good way to get them to stop helping us. And as much as I hated to admit it, without their help, our search would be much harder- and it was already an uphill battle.

So help me, if they mentioned Bella and what their son did to her.. or her powers without her specific permission- not that they could currently get it- then they would find my teeth in their flanks.. or at the very least, a very loud, ear piercing howl down their dead eardrums. It was Bella's secret to tell, and I wasn't about to let them throw it around like a ball. They bowed their heads, before the middle one, (I had no idea what the Leeches' name was, and had no desire to learn) stood forward, hands clasped together.

There was a quiet humming that seemed to echo around her, and I had to strain my ears to hear. I couldn't place what it was, but I definitely recognised it from somewhere. Still, I watched them dutifully, the snow melting around me and my claws firmly stuck into the dirt, to help prevent any 'accidents'.

"You have pets?"

Sparky asked, causing the three of us currently phased to growl. Yeah, I had figured out why the noise was familiar. It was electricity: the low hum was normally inaudible if you didn't have super hearing: but we did, go figure. This gave me the suspicion that she might have a freaky super power- just like the Leeches. And, if I were a betting man, I would guess something relating to electricity. I've shocked myself enough times, I'd rather not be on the receiving end of someone doing it deliberately.

Anyway, the reason we were growling. We _weren't_ pets thank you very much.

"This is the Pack. They are not pets. They are helping us search for Edward using their expertise."

I had to give it to them, Doctor Leech knew exactly what to say to avoid limbs being torn apart. The only to have not spoken stepped forward, scowling all the while. Evidently, she didn't like us. That was fine. We didn't have to like one another, she just had to cooperate. I could see another reason why he hadn't mentioned the kidnapping: they would be less likely to help us in that case.

But if they believed that we were here to help save Edward- God tarnish the thought- then they would be more likely to help, out of good will for the Cullens. In a way, it was smart. Manipulative and arguably immoral, but smart. I guess you didn't live for a few decades without learning how to manipulate people. I will most definitely keep that in mind.

"My apologies for her. We wish to help you make sure that you get Eddie back safe and sound."

I could've sworn I saw the leader Leech- Carlisle, that is- flinch. And judging by our simultaneous looks, I would argue that all of us saw it. Although, we did snicker at the fact that she called Mind-Reader-Kidnapper-Leech 'Eddie'. Like a cat._ 'Here Eddie Eddie. Come to me sweetheart.'_ I can definitely imagine an elderly person saying that. I have no sympathy for him however. Like I've iterated many times before.

"We last saw Edward heading down to Anchorage, like we mentioned before. Eleazar followed behind him before, but saw the plane lift off, in the north-east direction."

That was great. Just great. I had a few talents: hunting, car machinery, things like that. Teleporting and being able to narrow down her location from nothing, weren't one of them. Closing my eyes and tuning out of the conversation, I tried to investigate our bond further. It was about one of the few things I could do. Travelling along the rope, feeling the frayed nature of it and the dark surroundings, I tried reaching out for Bella.

It's like reaching out for something that isn't there- and feeling particularly odd and _empty_. My wolf, who had been silent, reached out with me, as we walked side by side towards where I ended and Bella began. This was unusual. Normally, I just travelled along the bond, but he was helping me as well- a silent companion.

There was something else different however- I could see a spirit and their wolf there as well. And obviously, even without the tell tale long brown hair, the chocolate eyes, and the loving gaze directed at me, it was easy to see who it was. _My Bella. _

I stormed forwards, determined, wanting to see her, reach out of her, like I hadn't been able to do in so long. By the looks of it, my wolf did too, as he barrelled forwards with me. But then I impacted a wall. Whatever this wall was, slamming on both sides did nothing to break it or even damage it. Pulling away sadly, I looked at the weary and slim form of Bella.

What was he _doing _to her? In both forms, she'd always been slight, looking like the wind might blow her over, but _not_ this thin. An ugly purple splodge adorned her ribs, followed by a nasty cut on her face, and what seemed to be an injured hand. Whether it was broken or not, I honestly couldn't tell, but it didn't look right.

"Bella!"

I called out, placing the palm of my hand against the mirror like barrier that was preventing me from seeing my beautiful Imprint. She placed her much smaller palm against mine, as her wolf clawed the barrier helplessly. When I _finally_ get to see her in some form, I couldn't because of some god damn barrier that shouldn't be here! Nowhere in the Imprint Legends had this ever existed, from what I knew! So what was causing it?

She stepped away, looking at her wolf in a shared look that I didn't catch. I could feel something trying to drag me back, but I fought it. I _needed_ to see her. Even if it wasn't physically. Bella started to move her hands in a flurry of gestures, before finally miming looking at something on her left wrist. A _watch_! It made sense.

That was the only thing I'd ever seen her wear on that specific wrist, and even then she'd never worn it very often. I nodded, and then she quickly started counting on her fingers. Once she got to ten, she then started again on her other hand, before stopping at seven. _Seventeen_. So the watch meant time.. but why would the time matter. Unless it was the time _flying_!

That would help us narrow it down somewhat. Then she started counting again, this time stopping at fifteen. Quarter past five? That wouldn't be much use if we didn't know the time she left from. One thousand seven hundred and fifteen minutes? That's twenty eight hours loosely. That seems unlikely that she'd be able to keep count for that long..because she'd likely need to sleep. And eat. Hours.. Oh! Seventeen hours and fifteen minutes!

That's what she likely meant. Nodding towards her, she flinched a brief moment, before beginning to mime once again. Never thought I'd be glad for all of those charades games we used to play when we were kids. She crossed her arms, placing them just after her elbows, before moving them up and down and shaking. Was she trying to control a phase? Was she prevented from phasing?

Shrugging, and pointing to my wolf, head cocked in a silent question, she shook her head, no. Nothing to do with a wolf then. Pausing for a brief moment, she mimed pulling something on her hands, pulling something on her head, and wrapping something around her neck. This was related to the shaking from earlier.. Winter? I looked at my wolf, to see if he had any clue. He turned to me, ears pressed down, as he flicked his eyes towards Bella's wolf.

_"Cold. Her wolf is acting as though Pack is travelling through snow. Mate means cold."_

_That_ made sense. She must be in a cold country then. I nodded, hoping that we were on the same page. We couldn't hear one another, so it wasn't like we could verbally commune, and lip-reading was surprisingly hard. Bella flinched harshly, as did her wolf. They seemed to be._.in pain?_ And it wasn't an act, because I could tell by the way Bella was holding herself that she was in genuine pain.

As I began to be pulled back into the real world- hoping that nothing serious had happened while I wasn't paying attention- she mimed one last thing. She cupped her hands in a heart shape, before clasping it over her heart, before again pointing at me._ I love you._ I repeated the gesture back, before blowing a kiss towards her as she began to disappear. I pointed towards myself, before pretending to look for something, before pointing at her._ I love you too. I will find you._

* * *

"She's roughly seventeen hours away, in a cold country, after flying on a plane."

I had no particular care for the fact that I was interrupting whatever conversation they were in. I had somehow returned to my human form- which I noticed almost immediately as my words came out as words rather then growls. The fact that I had three vampires staring at my naked form probably helped to be fair. The only reason that sprang to mind was that because I had seen Bella- even though she was far from healed- it had returned some semblance of control.

Now, don't mistake me, I was nowhere near not panicking, but I managed to get enough reassurance from our impromptu 'meeting' to wrangle in my body trying to force me to phase. Doctor Leech turned to me, as I stared impassively at our group. Jared had stepped back, allowing me to take point. I was more then happy to take the leadership for once.

"How have you come to obtain this-"

The one who had called Edward 'Eddie' spoke up, looking at me with an indecipherable look. Doctor Leech turned to look at me, an unspoken question in his eyes. It was evident that the same question I had just been asked was the one he was pondering. _How did I know?_ I deliberated for a few moments. Although I was sure that they had some hint of why I was so protective over Bella, I doubted it was the truth.

I wasn't ashamed of Bella by any means, but I had other things to consider.

One: The Cullen's weren't aware of our Imprinting. Two: The Leech Coven- note, not the Cullens- weren't aware of Bella being kidnapped. They were just aware of _Edward_. And thirdly- it didn't seem very rational to those outside the pack that I had just 'seen' her via a bond in the back of my head. But, a small vengeful part of me wanted to shock the Cullens with a revelation- that Bella was _mine_ and not _his_.

That she loved _me_ and not the _Leech_. That she was both _wolf_ and _human_, and not just the frail human that they loved to break. So, I smirked, puffing up my chest in a deliberate manoeuvre to piss them off, and deadpanned, much to the pack's amusement and hilarity.

"Oh that? She's my Imprint- I managed to finally contact her through this specific bond in the back of our heads."

I was not disappointed with the looks of disbelief echoing on their faces, but I truly couldn't care less at this point. Besides- I'm sure Bella would find the whole situation amusing- and perhaps, like a double edged sword, it would get them off both mine and Bella's backs.

* * *

Author's Note

_Hello from a Volkswagen Passattttttt_

_I'm currently travelling up the M111111_

_I'd like to tell you, I'm tired._

_During this journeyyy._

_But soon, I will be,_

_at a flat in Edinburgh._

Or I would be, if I was actually in a car. _Technically,_ at the time of writing this Author's Note, it's the night before, and I'm preparing to go to Edinburgh for a while. But when this is uploaded, I will actually be in a Passat (provided I'm not ridiculously late).

Also, another note. Next weeks chapter might be delayed. I'm heading to Edinburgh, which is a holiday for me. When I'm in England, I get time and stuff to write cause I'm just seeing family. But, I won't have wifi there, and while I'll have my laptop, whether I get time to write is something else entirely.

I'll try my best of course, but I can't guarantee anything. So if there isn't a update next week, you'll know why. I'm just apologising in advance, and so that you have some forewarning.

Anyway, here is this weeks question: What is your dream destination to go on holiday? I haven't travelled much, but I'd like to go to either Italy (Ciao, amicos.) or Australia (G'Day Mate). America seems pretty cool too- I'd like to go to either the Big Apple herself, or even LA. Of course, I'm open to smaller cities.

Anyway, I've got to go. Either annoying my brother with music he hates for whatever reason, or watching the road pass me by.

Have a nice week, and I'll see you when I see you!

~Cait


	17. Chapter 17 - Fight For This Love

Just know you're not in this thing alone  
There's always a place in me that you can call home  
Whenever you feel like we're growing apart  
Let's just go back, back, back, back, back to the start

Anything that's worth having  
Is sure enough worth fighting for  
Quiting's out of the question  
When it gets tough, gotta fight some more

Fight For This Love, by Cheryl Cole, from the album 3 Words, released in 2009

* * *

**Author's Pre-Note**

**There is a very brief mention of abuse. It is mentioned in passing, and is not gone into depth. Please be advised. If anyone is triggered by it, it is in Bella's POV, skip over the three line paragraph where 'And after that failed' is mentioned.**

* * *

Bella's POV

I found something new out today. You might think one of several different things. There were a lot of possibilities after all.

Possibility number one: I had found a way out? No, as much as I tried, between my senses being dampened, and the two (that I knew of) vampires watching me, I hadn't found any escape routes.

Possibility number two: That I had found out _where_ I was? No yet again, I hadn't been able to narrow down my location any further.

Possibility number three: I'd managed to contact the pack? Yes, I had managed to do that, but the agony it had put me through was nigh on painful during the duration needed.

No, what I had found out, was that Edward could still drink my blood. I know, weird right? Werewolf blood, in general, was supposed to repulse vampires, supposed to make them stop drinking before they injected their venom into us.

Funnily enough, judging by the continued drinking of my blood by Edward, it seemed to taste nice to him. Odd, I know. My theory- just a theory- was that I was supposed to be his singer. The one whose blood sang for him the most. Well, it was either that, or Edward was just delusional.

I guess it depends on what you think. And before you think that it was perhaps a difference with me, perhaps because I became a wolf a completely different way, Victoria _hated _my blood. And me. But also my blood. Because, after Edward egging her on- ew, by the way.

Seeing the two of them interact with one another was almost weirder then the fact that Edward still seemed to think I loved him and he me (he has a funny way of showing it)- she had bitten my paw which they had pulled out of socket- _Oww_ it had _already healed _the wrong way- and drew a large swirl of my blood. It sounds quite clinical when I say it like that, doesn't it?

Like a doctor drawing blood. Her face turned almost immediately into one of disgust, as she spat it out much like a child would with a vegetable they didn't like. It was quite amusing to be fair. Don't think I deserved the backhand I got for snickering though. She had turned to face Edward, who had been leaning against the wall, mouth in a cocky smirk.

"She truly doesn't taste divine?"

He sounded so surprised, that I was beginning to think that when he supposedly got this illness, he lost a few brain cells. Or more then a few at the very least. Throughout the whole experience, I had remained stubbornly silent, refusing to say anything. He knew I could, if we go back to the situation where I got kidnapped, but I chose not to. I wasn't going to speak to someone who treated me so badly. When I hadn't talked, he started to try other methods.

His first attempt was to starve me. I hadn't eaten since a couple of hours before he grabbed me, and at the very least a few days had gone by, and at the most, two weeks. A varying time-frame I know. To accompany the starving, he tried emotionally manipulating me. It's almost as if he wanted me to get Stockholm Syndrome, although I guess that would work for his advantage.

And after _that _failed, because I was more resilient then he gave me credit for, he tried physical abuse. Cuts, bruises, broken bones, slaps here and there, you get my point.

It wasn't pleasant, but I got by, because I knew Jacob would find me like he promised to do. The only problem was that the defined line between the human and wolf, Bella and Bella-Wolf, _she and spirit, _was blurring as more and more energy of mine was being whittled away. Soon, it would be difficult to see where Bella began and the wolf ended.

And that scared me- because we both had our own individual personalities, and to have them smooshed into one consciousness wouldn't be good for either of us- I just had to hope that Jacob would be on his way soon. No, that was the wrong terminology. I didn't have to hope he would be on his way soon, because I knew he would be searching for me anyway. I just had to hope he would be here _on time._

* * *

Jacob's POV

I had a lot of fun savouring the various expressions on their faces. It wasn't enough to distract me from the fact that Bella had managed to contact me, but it was amusing all the same. Of course, we had all rapidly moved on from the revelation, and instead were gathered around a map of Earth. It covered the span of the table on the plane, and had the capital of each city marked clearly, as well as major airports.

For example, Heathrow was marked as a major airport in London. I'd always wanted to go England.. it was unlikely we'd ever get a chance to go, because of Pack business and defending La Push and all of that fun responsibilities. Anyway, we circled Anchorage Airport with a massive black marker. We hadn't figured out why Edward had flown from such a big airport, with plenty of CCTV and all that, but I wasn't going to question it.

"We know that wherever Bella went, it took her roughly seventeen and a quarter hours. We know he took a Boeing 747 from the airport. While no flight plan was filled, and the transponder was turned off soon after take off, we know that this specific model of aeroplane can travel 550 miles per hour, or approximately 885 kilometres per hour."

They were just facts, but I think I could see where he was going with this. Hundreds of years and a doctors degree I had not, but I _did _have a basic education. And in that education, we learned a specific formula called the speed-time-distance triangle. Since even Edward couldn't defy physics with engine specs- something that made my inner mechanic smug- we could use it to work out a distance.

"If I'm thinking along the same lines: to find the distance we multiply the speed by the time."

The things I do for love. Talking civilly to Leeches just because they can help me find Bella. Like I've said countless times before, there was nothing I couldn't and wouldn't do for Bella. Doctor Leech looked up from the map, as the pack stood behind me, each with different emotions on their faces. Embry's was calm, collected, like he was getting a relaxing bath rather then in a potentially confrontational situation with our arch enemies.

_He would make a good second._

My wolf rumbled, and I couldn't help but agree. The traits he was displaying, the level-headedness that he possessed, and not being afraid to protect were admirable traits. Especially when you remember the fact that he had stood up to me when I was getting worked up about meeting Bella. He was stubborn in all the right ways, determined, but wasn't submissive to me either. He was willing to challenge me, not for position, but for what was right.

Seth, on the other hand, was like a child on sugar, trying to convince their parents that they _weren't _on a sugar rush. Barely contained excitement was making itself evident, but I knew that he was excited because we were with the Leeches. It wasn't even because we were on a plane. It was because we were close to finding my Imprint. His kind of enthusiasm was almost a relief- because while it didn't make light of the situation, it in some way helped to keep us calm.

_The cub is young. Respectful of his superiors, but young enough to not truly understand. He needs guidance by the Alpha._

Again I found myself agreeing with my wolf's analysis. He was really good at it, it seemed. Our final member of our little Pack, Jared, was watching with a wary eye, and neutral look. Only the slight curl of his lip gave any sign that he was displeased with our alliance. I couldn't blame him in all honesty though- I didn't like to trust them any more then necessary. There was a reason majority of the pack stayed back in La Push after all.

_He has good reason to distrust. But to be an effective Alpha, or Beta, or Third, you must be willing to make sacrifices for the good of the pack. It is up to the leader to choose what sacrifices are beneficial._

Yet again, I agreed with my wolf...and then I realised _why _he was making these analyses. It wasn't just because I had started the topic- it was because he wanted us to become Alpha of the pack. The agreement I received told me I'd hit the nail on the head.

_It is our birthright, our duty, our pack. Current Alpha does not have the blood, the knowledge, the strength. He is weak Alpha, but strong Beta. We need to lead eventually, for the good of pack. It is no longer a choice- just a matter of when. We will wait until Mate is safe, but heed my words Alpha._

I had no clue what to say to that. I had been debating taking leadership one day..but it was a decision I was unsure of. One that I would have to discuss with Bella. It had always come across as a choice to me- one that my Dad disapproved of- but a choice nonetheless. It was a choice to become Alpha- but here it was being portrayed that it in fact wasn't. What was I supposed to say to that?

"885 kilometres multiplied by 17.25 is 15,266.25 kilometres. If we compile a list of countries within that distance, or there about, we can use other slips of information to narrow it down."

Sometimes, I wish I had the ability to do complicated sums in my head. Give me a pen and paper, and a couple of minutes, and I would've worked it out simple enough. Maths had always been my strong suit- a skill that came in very handy when it came to cars. Specific measurements, lengths of car parts, dimensions, things like that. So yeah, while I was good at maths, doing it instantaneously, even with my werewolf mind? Didn't have a chance.

"So what countries does that narrow it down to?"

Crossing my arms- and cherishing opposable thumbs!- I looked at the piece of paper that Carlisle was studying, half convinced that it was about to burst into flames at the speed of his writing. Or that the pen was going to drastically burst, spilling ink everywhere. Control was a difficult thing to master- and oh my God how am I complimenting a Leech? Eugh. I think I'm delusional- I'm going to put it down to imprint separation and be done with it.

In an odd, and uncharacteristic, human-like move, Carlisle fidgeted, narrowing his eyes almost as if in concentration. I notice these things because I'm watching them like a hawk- or rather a concerned and worried sick imprint.

"She could possibly be in Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Ukraine, or Tajikistan. We need to narrow it down further."

"You don't say."

Jared muttered, scowling and flashing his eyes dangerously. Flicking my eyes to him in the universal sign of 'Play Nice. You don't have to like them but they _are _helping us' I asserted a little bit of my dominance over him, pressing down on his presence a little. I hated doing it, especially with someone I deemed to be my friend, but I _couldn't _have him potentially endangering the chances of saving Bella.

Yes, I'm aware of how hypocritical that may sound, especially with my earlier reveal, and I do take responsibility about that. It had been a quick decision on my part, and I was _really fucking _lucky that it didn't endanger our attempt at locating her. I got cocky, grateful to see my Imprint, and it was a stupid decision that I shouldn't have made.

_The sign of a good Alpha is one who realises when he has done wrong, so that he can amend such decisions._

Pointedly ignoring my wolf- who was incessant on calling me 'Alpha', even when I wasn't- I turned to look at Carlisle, with Jared wisely keeping quiet. None of the others had mentioned anything, much to my thanks, but I watched carefully, wishing I'd managed to glean more information from Bella.

"What else did Bella tell you?"

Now, he was definitely just asking that in a misguided attempt to make me feel comfortable. Or the rest of us comfortable- it wasn't just about me you know. The reason I knew this, was because the damned Leeches had essentially an eidetic memory, so that once they'd seen or heard something, they would never forget it.

It helped that Bella had mentioned it as well. Holding my tongue- resisting the urge to be immature and say 'I think you already know the answer'- I took a breath in, before shifting my weight onto my other foot.

"It was cold. She was shivering, despite us naturally running hot. There seemed to be snow as well."

I saw him confer to a screen to his left- which seemed to be displaying weather forecasts for all of the countries he listed, as he scored several off. We were getting there..slowly but surely. There were still far too many countries. Every so often, he would confer with Psychic Leech, who's eyes would grow glazed, followed by either a nod or a shake. I clenched my knuckles, in an attempt to keep my impatience as they repeated the routine. The damned Leech hadn't made it easy for us, not at all.

"Is there anyway you can find out more? There are still several countries she could possibly be in, and we do not have the time to investigate them all."

He was really trying my patience, but I reigned it in. But only just. I couldn't resist the curling of my lip though- that was just instinctual. I sighed, before thinking. I hadn't been able to break down the barrier with the two of us- but what about if there were _four _of us on my side?

Could it break then? Would I be able to hear her voice? I weighed up the pros and cons of the decision, with my wolf chiming in with his own advice. Sometimes it was helpful to have another persons input on something..even if said other person was a wolf spirit.

_During a harsh winter, A Alpha may have to make sacrifices or tough decisions to keep the Pack safe. Without these hard decision, they shall doom the rest of the Pack. While you could risk harm to either side of the bond, the 'wall' should not be present. Preventing us from seeing our mate. Wrong. It needs to go. The strength of four of our Pack, is stronger then one. Perhaps pack-work shall break it. Try._

He put it better then I did. I had to take risks...other wise I might not see Bella again. Nodding, tensing, and sighing hard, I looked into the onyx eyes of the Leech.

"I have an idea. Everyone."

I turned back to face my mini-Pack, who were watching my interactions. I smiled sharply, a crooked grin- one that was similar to a cat who got the canary. While I hadn't got Bella safe in my arms, I at least was on the right track. Tensing, coiling my muscles, I reached down to my bottle, and with a smirk that was unnecessary, clenched it tightly.

"Phase."

And I threw it down sharply, causing the phase to creep over me like a second skin. It took less then a minute for the familiar russet fur to settle over me, the claws and fangs of a hunter grow in, the sharp increase of my senses adjusting. I _was _going to find her. There was no doubt about that.

"_**We're going to try and communicate with her like I did before."**_

My unspoken words were: 'I don't really know how to do it but I'm going to try anyway'. Because while I could communicate with Bella somewhat through my bond..even not being able to speak, I had no idea how to actually bring them with me. It was a door in the back of my mind..something I instinctively knew how to traverse. Even when weakened I could do it.

But never had I tried to bring someone along with me. Much less _three _others. Settling into the pack mind, almost withdrawing from my body entirely, I just chose to manifest myself in my normal body. It was jarring, mainly because I was usually a wolf when I was in the pack mind, but I think I pulled it off. I wasn't naked at the very least. Although, it was hardly the first time they'd seen me naked, but I'd rather reserve that for Bella.

"_**What do you need us to do Jake?"**_

Embry asked, with an undertone of curiosity. He was unperturbed by me manifesting- is that the right word? This is confusing- my form, and instead was just determined to see whatever I was suggesting through. It made me wonder what I'd done to inspire such loyalty from them. Seth sat down on his haunches, turning his head inquisitively like a child.

But that's what Seth was...and it was a fact that I feel like we forgot far too much. And he'd come with us on this cross country trip..without his family, not even his sister. It was irresponsible.. and probably a decision I will regret in the future. Mentally waving my hands, and gesturing to myself- something that was as weird as it sounds, believe you me- I tried to explain what I wanted them to do- trying my best to not seem like I was out of my depth.

"_**Withdraw from your bodies like I have, and manifest yourself like I have- it doesn't really matter what form you take."**_

While I could tell Jared looked uncomfortable, he still did as I asked, and within a minute, three others joined me in the pack mind. There was Jared, who had manifested himself as his wolf, looking around sharply. I don't think he was expecting it to seem so blank. Seth was the second to appear, manifesting as a wolf, but not _his _wolf. He seemed almost..wooden in nature. Fur etched into the wood, looking detailed but not quite real.

His body was sleek and shiny, and it suddenly clicked why he had manifested himself in that form. He crafted similar wolves with his dad, an activity that I knew, both of them bonded over. Embry was the final one to 'arrive', and like me, he just went as his human form. Perhaps it made him feel safe, perhaps he felt like it would link him to his humanity, or perhaps he just thought it was the easiest form to assume. It wasn't my business.

"_**Follow me."**_

I started to withdraw back into my mind, but concentrated on leaving an open path, lighting it like a runway with flashing lights. Whether it was due to my Alpha blood, or the stress of the situation, the pack mind.. or whatever the hell this was...it was relatively easy to manipulate. I guided them through, before treading back along our bond, _hoping _that Bella was waiting for us there. Whether she would be or not wasn't a thought I wanted to entertain.

* * *

Author's Note

Guess who managed to get a chapter written while she was in Edinburgh? Moi. And, it's actually a decently long one too.

So, I guess my forewarning was irrelevant in the end. Figures.

I had fun in Edinburgh though. Went to a Writer's Museum, the National Scottish Museum, went to the Botanical Gardens, even watched the first Short Circuit on the TV and a Ninja Turtles Movie that I can't remember the name of.

Don't ask. There were some _random _things on TV.

So, here is this weeks question. I'd better make it a good one. If there was one thing that wasn't real that you could make real, what would it be?

Honestly, I don't particularly know the answer to that. Super Powers? Super Heroes? World Peace? Equality?

I have no clue. I hope you guys have better ideas then me.

Anyway, I'm going to have a strum on my guitar.

See you all next week!

~Cait


	18. Chapter 18 - How Can I Go On?

Sometimes I tremble in the dark  
I cannot see  
When people frighten me  
I try to hide myself so far from the crowd  
Is anybody there to comfort me  
Lord, take care of me.

How can I go on  
From day to day  
Who can make me strong in every way  
Where can I be safe  
Where can I belong  
In this great big world of sadness  
How can I forget  
Those beautiful dreams that we shared  
They're lost and they're no where to be found  
How can I go on?

How Can I Go On?, by Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé, from the album Barcelona, released in 1988

* * *

Bella's POV

We haven't felt this crappy in a long time. I shook my head at the thought, reminding myself to speak in _first person _and not whatever the hell that was. My wolf was barging uncomfortably close to my consciousness, the defined line that was me, but unlike before, her two front feet were almost over the line. It wasn't intentional on her behalf though- I could tell she was pulling away as best she could, as was I.

But whatever was dragging us together- thoughts that weren't mine echoing _bond sickness- _wasn't going to let us go anytime soon. We paced- _I _paced around the cage, wincing every time my ribs jostled. Turned out, when they healed wrong (fortunately not badly enough to deform me like something out of _The Human Centipede.. _God, why did I ever agree to watch that...eughhhh) it was still immensely painful. But since I lacked opposable thumbs, and these god damn chains made it impossible to regain said opposable thumbs.

I curled up on the floor, yawning before staring blankly at the bars of the cage. There were a lot of different emotions flowing through me, some old, primal, and _foreign, and _others new, human, and _familiar. _There was one commonality though: _We miss our mate. _As I stuck my tongue out in an attempt to gain water- something that I was desperate for at this point, I could hear the familiar sound of footprints.

We didn't bother looking up, having long since given up on fighting whatever Edward or Victoria had planned. I the epitome of listlessness. I wanted to fight, but after previous attempts hadn't worked or yielded anything, I was trying to conserve what little strength we had. It turned out that while we hadn't gone crazy yet, the lack of food, of water, of freedom and company was taking it's toll. Wolves were not solitary by nature. A small growl became audible to our ears, but I didn't heed it much attention.

Growls in the past had led to punishment, and we were injured enough as it was. The growling resumed, this time a pitch whine being added in, as there was almost a knocking at my shield. It was something I'd never experienced before. Without moving, a small sense of curiosity and the smell of _wolf _as faint as it may be, entertained me. I wrapped them around with my shield, the mere action feeling like I was lifting heavy weights.

"_**Miss?"**_

I limply lifted my head up, looking around with an exhausted sigh. Out of the shadows- literally out of the shadows, I don't think I was hallucinating- a small wolf emerged, with a grey and black pelt, alternating smudges. He paced up to the cage, with a blue and green eye looking at me, before he laid down next to me, just outside of the cage. It occurred to me that he must have torn off the blanket at some point.

"_**Pup**__**?.."**_

He frowned, looking us over, before shrugging something off his back. When he didn't answer me, I was beginning to think that my sanity had finally gone. Next to me though, through the shadows, a dish almost emerged from the floor, but in a flurry of dark particles. Upon sniffing, it seemed to be water. I looked at it hesitantly- because who would trust something that would emerge from the floor?- before eventually lapping it up.

If this _was_ a hallucination then this water tasted very much like water. As the bowl disappeared after I had drank it, a slab of meat appeared, also smelling fresh and not like it had tampered with. Call me stupid, but because I was so desperate for food, I ate that to, with the meat instantly finding its way to my churning stomach and soothing it. He paced towards the cage, analysis it critically.

"_**I can't free you. I could, but I wouldn't be able to take you out with the Vampire's on the prowl. I can provide you food, water, and companionship though. And I can get you assistance. Do you have a Pack coming for you?"**_

Taking a breath in, and feeling very grateful for this mysterious stranger who I should probably not be trusting but am anyway, we finally mustered the strength to reply.

"_**I do. They don't know where I am, only that I am in one of several different countries. Is there any chance you know where we are?."**_

"_**We are in Russia, on the outskirts of Ardon. If they can get here, I can direct them here for a frontal assault, in hopes of rescuing you. Tell them to howl and I shall go to them. For now, I will be with you as company."**_

Before I got a chance to reply, the blanket was whisked back on as I looked at the unnamed wolf, who was blending back into the shadows. Still, even though he had disappeared, I kept my shield wrapped around him. He hadn't left, that much I could tell, but I knew that the Leeches were back. Apparently the food managed to improve my senses a little bit.

"Ah, Bella. How are you today?"

_Very well. We- I, am finally going to escape from you soon enough. It is something I am looking forward to- where I can see Jacob again. _I sarcastically replied in my head, but still denied him a response. _Oh, look at that, I pissed off the crazy Vampire. Come soon Jacob._

* * *

Jacob's POV

Traipsing across the bond-line was simple in theory. There was no 'Giant Monsters' fighting us off, no traps or other things to prevent us from travelling. The fact that I could practically feel my mind trying to force them out was discomforting, but we persevered nonetheless. Our surroundings were different this time. The path we were walking on- that is, the bond- was ironically enough like rope, with brown threads interweaving, thick and strong.

Think of normal heavy duty rope, its width specifically, and just multiply it in size by quite a bit. The tunnel we were walking through- one that hadn't been around when I had traversed it the first time- had several framed pictures lining the walls. A quick sideways glance showed they were pictures of me- or specifically of my memories.

It didn't bother me as much as it probably should have. I had nothing to hide after all, plus it was pretty hard to at the best of times. Because of that, I didn't pay too much attention to what the pictures were. I'd experienced them all at one point.

"Is that you, Bella and your Mom, Jake?"

Continuing to walk forward, I took another sideways glance at the question he was motioning too. It was a picture taken when I was small, about three. Bella would have been five around then, give or take. We were smiling with wide grins, with my Mom standing behind us. Dad said I had her eyes, and I could definitely see it. I got my Dad's mop of hair though..and Grandad Ephraim's fur.

Genes meant _a lot _in the Quileutes. In the background you could see the very same forest that we travelled through regularly now, and there was a discarded baseball and bat laid in the grass. That had been a fun day, before Renee and Charlie's divorce, before the car accident, and before all of the troubles we have now.

"Yeah. We were all playing baseball that day. It was a really hot summer so our families got together."

Seth nodded as we continued. I could tell that the others were looking at the pictures, but we didn't have much further to go now. The ending of the tunnel was within sight, and so was Bella, to some degree. Moving onwards, I took a glance at some of the pictures myself. It served to make me feel nostalgic as hell.

There was a large one of the pack, laughing and joking with one another, with my arm wrapped around her waist, grinning happily. Around her wrist was the bracelet I had given her, and she was looking as excited as ever. Another picture, this one a couple of footsteps closer to the door, seemed to have been taken from behind. Against the background of the setting sun, you could see the silhouettes of howling wolves, in a triangular like structure, but with two at point.

This was the day of our Imprinting Ceremony. I could never forget it… the joy I felt, the love I had for Bella. With that in mind, I surged onwards, wanting nothing more then to continue making happy memories with Bella.

"Come on. We're nearly there."

True to what I predicted, we soon enough arrived back to where myself and Bella had met one another not that long ago. When there wasn't Bella standing there waiting for us like I had hoped, I refused to let myself feel disheartened. My wolf appeared next to me in a blink of golden light, standing by my side, tall and proudly.

With the others standing behind me, with blank looks and not being accompanied by their wolves (apparently that's just a me thing), I tried to figure out how to get Bella here.

Peering through the wall, I could see a very similar tunnel to the one we had moved through ourselves. I couldn't make out many details, even with my eyesight, but I could make out a faint shadow emerging through. We waited in a brief silence, before the figure walked up to the wall. It was..Bella, but not quite Bella.

Her eyes were their normal chocolate brown, but they were dilated slightly, much like that of a wolves. With her skin being that odd colour of hers, a mixture between her formerly normal pale colour and the slightly tan she had adopted when she had become a wolf, it made her seem relatively normal.

That's if you could ignore the beginnings of a snout emerging on her face, wolf ears sprouting on her head in place of her normal ears, dagger like claws emerging out of her hands, and the dusting of her wolves fur over her skin. It was like a bad cosplayer's cosplay. But I could tell that it was all too real...and I doubted that Bella would choose this look on purpose.

She was very much a fan of one or the other, even with her willingness to be one with her wolf. That ideology was more in the mental form rather then the literal form. She placed her clawed hand against the wall, and I did with my own normal one. Wordlessly, the other's came up to me, keeping their alarm at Bella's condition well hidden.

"Guys, I need you to try and tear a hole in the barrier, so I can get through to Bella."

They approached in front of me, and I went with them. It was surprisingly difficult to pry a hole in a transparent barrier, but damned if we weren't going to try. Bella was clawing at the other side, as the five of us attempted to pry it open on our side. I took the top, since I was tallest, and Seth, being the smallest, was clawing and chewing at the bottom. With Embry being smaller then me, he scratched at it slightly below where my hands were.

Jared was jumping at it and slamming it with his side, hopefully not to the extent where he injured himself, and my wolf, teeth bared, jumped above Seth and clawed at it himself. We kept at it, without much sign of victory, before a screech was heard, causing all of us to flinch with the loud and sudden noise.

Still, with a senses irritating flash, the barrier faltered, and I charged towards my Imprint, picking her up gently and spinning her round and round in excitement. I pecked her on the cheek, before pulling back, remembering why we were here.

"I've missed you so much."

I whispered, regretting having to let go and not being able to have her in my actual arms. She smiled sadly, before she nuzzled me, grasping my hand in hers.

"**As have ****we****. ****We**** know where ****we** **are****."**

Her voice was a double timbre, reminding me absently of the Alpha voice. It was her normal voice, but had an underlying, more gruff but feminine voice underneath it. I'd bet it was her wolf. My wolf was brushing around her legs, almost trying to assure himself that while she was by no means safe, she was alive.

"Where?"

She flinched, rubbing her ribs, before looking at me with dead seriousness in her eyes, wavering with her emotions, as she traced circles on my palm, and her other hand going through my wolf's fur, which, judging by the rumbling in his chest, he was enjoying.

"**Ardon, Russia. We're not sure where there though. Be careful, there is another Vampire here. She's called Victoria- Carlisle will know."**

She paused, her tail drooping- oh, I forgot to mention that earlier- and her ears tilting downwards. That sounds weird in context. We hugged one another again, as she stretched awkwardly, her claws clicking against the floor.

"There will be another wolf waiting for you. Just howl and he'll come find you. He's..young, so take it easy on him."

I nodded, intrigued, but filed away that information for later. There, of course, was another question lingering on my mind, and it was regarding her _unique _appearance. And the way she was talking in a way that was odd and disjointed- with 'we's' instead of 'I's'. Bella smiled, a wolfish grin, before waving off whatever I was going to ask.

"**Don't worry about it. We trust the Pup. We have to save our strength, so we must leave now. We wait for you, our Alpha."**

That term of address was odd, because Bella had _never _referred to me as Alpha. But she did have a point. The longer we were here, the more time we were losing, and the longer Bella was in Edward's clutches, which was already too long as it was. Pushing away all of the oddness, I hugged her tightly, and I could feel her clawed hands curl into my back, but not uncomfortably so. We stayed like that for a brief second, before we separated, not a heartfelt goodbye but more of a 'see you soon.' Wordlessly, we stepped a distance away from one another, and there was a hum of light, as whatever this damned barrier was began to reinitialise. It sounded scientific when I put it like that..

"I love you."

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. Instead, just before the wall went back up, she whispered two words out lowly, cementing the need for urgency,

"**We know."**

* * *

I quickly phased back once we had traipsed back from my mind. Again, I wasn't that fussed about my modesty. I looked at Carlisle, who was watching us with a wary look in his eye and a curious glint right next to that. Talk about conflicting messages.

"She's in Ardon. Bella's going to need medical attention. There's another vampire with them, someone called Victoria?"

If Carlisle's face could pale, it would have. That concerned me, because that meant that whoever this Victoria was, she was bad news- more so then her kind usually were, anyway. Carlisle looked at Alice, who looked just as surprised as he was. I didn't have to question anything, because Carlisle fortunately went on to expand our knowledge.

"What do you know of the bite Bella received in Phoenix last year?"

"Bits and pieces. A trio of vampires found you when you were playing baseball, and one, his name being Jack, hunted Bella down. You took her to Phoenix, but he tricked Bella into thinking that he had her Mom, so she met him in her old art studio. He bit her before you and your Coven could drag him off her."

James. The Vampire's name was James. And the studio was a ballet studio. I remembered everything Bella told me, so I definitely would remember such a traumatic experience. The point of all the incorrect information was to see if Carlisle would correct me. But he didn't, and instead nodded in agreement.

"Victoria was his mate. She's had it out for Bella ever since- and she's got an uncanny ability to escape. Now that she's involved, it might be a bit more difficult then we first imagined."

I reigned in an accusing growl. It only served to tell me that he wasn't to be trusted, not that I ever had before. But, if Victoria served to be as much as a danger to Bella as James had been to her once… well, I was worried. She hadn't been well when we had saw her in our bond.. and I worried about what they could have done to her, that I couldn't see.

I just hoped that whoever our contact was, he was trustworthy. We needed allies we could trust- and I hoped it wasn't another Leech. I couldn't rely on them any more then I could rely on Edward- yes, I do mean _that_ Edward. I noticed that Psychic Leech had disappeared to the front of the plane, where the hum of the engine became audible, and the movement was even more so evident.

Carlisle- I hadn't even noticed when I started referring to him by his name, but it wasn't out of fondness believe you me- looked at me for a moment, before disappearing to the front of the plane. I could make out that they were speaking, but not what they were speaking about. It was too fast and too quiet to decipher. With the Leeches preoccupied, and our journey to Russia hurtling towards us, I looked at my pack, before phasing back myself, stretching out over the expansive floor.

Ignoring the torture that my ears were going under, I watched them, as Psychic Leech passed Carlisle something. They had moved together in a shady looking way, almost shielding whatever they were passing one another from our view.

"_**Watch them. I don't trust them."**_

* * *

Author's Notes

GUYS! I DIDN'T FAIL ANY OF MY EXAMS! :D

Four A's and Two B's: I'm so thankful that I did so well! Thank you to everyone who wished me the best back when I sat them in May.

On another note, the rescue will be next chapter. I promise. I'd imagine the set up is getting on everyone's nerves- I know it is mine. The Two Imprints shall reunite.

Oh, speaking of notes. When Bella drops into Us, We, etc etc, it's deliberate. I used it to demonstrate how close the two entities (Bella and Wolf) are coming to merging into one.

Here's this weeks question: Who is your favourite video game protagonist? Of course, if you don't play video games, feel free to alternate it with TV protagonists or book protagonists or comic protagonists.

I'm in no rush, so I'm going to answer them all.

My favourite video game protagonist is difficult, because I love so many video games. I'd think It'd either be one of the Fallout Protagonists, the Fable Protagonist, or John Marston from Red Dead Redemption.

My favourite TV protagonist is Nick Burkhardt from Grimm because goddamn, I loved that TV show. I highly recommend it if you are into the fantasy genre.

Favourite book protagonist...hmm, Lyra Belacqua from His Dark Materials. They were the first 'proper' novels I read, and I loved them. I still do.

Now, finally, comics. Because it's difficult to get comics in the UK, I've only read a few. Mainly really old ones. But it would either be Iron Man from Iron Man: Extremis, or Spider-Man, from 'The Assassin Nation Plot', one of the few comics I have in its original copy- thank my Dad for that.

Anyway, I'd better go. Stories to write, guitar to practise, a Sole Survivor to play as.

See you next time and have a good week!

~Cait


	19. Chapter 19 - Shadows

We are hiding in the shadows

We are silent, we have nerve  
Like to think out loud  
We just don't think out loud

And the shadows grow  
And the shadows play  
And we all cast shadows  
And shadows know

Who is standing in the shadows  
Who is lying, lying in the shade  
Lying to their shadow

And the shadows grow

Shadows, by Joe Walsh, from the album You Bought It- You Name It, released in 1983

* * *

The journey was far too long for my tastes, and I was glad when we touched the cold ground of Russia. Leech had landed in a far off airstrip owned by them (seriously, do they own a private airstrip in every country or something?), meaning we were nowhere near civilisation. It definitely played to our advantage, because four giant-ass wolves could walk off the plane without trying to hide ourselves. Doctor Leech and Psychic Leech followed behind us, their footsteps only making light indents in the snow.

Our footsteps were making deep indents, clawed and their usual odd shape, but with the current snowfall, they would be masked in no time. As we sat down in the snow, they all looked at me, silently questioning me. I was their leader.. and I could feel my wolf rumbling in satisfaction. It felt wrong for all of them looking at me for instruction.. but I forced myself to shake it off. Qualms about hierarchies of power could wait until Bella was safe in my arms. Still, it was time to light our signal.

I raised up on my hind legs in an awkward balance, and howled loudly into the air. Currents of power were underlying in my voice, and my howl was a wolf song- wordless, commanding, but also sad. I had no intentions to put those emotions in my howl, but apparently I managed to do it without being aware. After almost running out of breath, I ceased my howl, while the after echoes continued to bounced around the air like it was a game of pinball. We all looked at one another, as I glanced backwards, watching the Cullens with a wary glance.

"_**Who or what do you think it is?"**_

Seth was the one to ask the question, as he shook out his fur in an attempt to dislodge the snow making its home there. I shrugged- or at least, the wolf equivalent of the action- and yawned, listening hard for any signs of company. There was nothing out of the ordinary- nattering birds, the wind whispering, the chatter of various other animals.

"_**Could be anything Seth. Bella did say 'Pup' though, which could suggest a small, natural born animal. It could also be a shifter, but there aren't any Tribes in Russia are there?"**_

I shook my head in agreement. To my knowledge, there were no Tribes who had shifter blood this far out. Of course, there were reportedly Tribes with other shifter blood, much younger then our own shifting nature. It depended a lot on the area they were living, the circumstances, things like that.

Like in Siberia, there was a Pack (Pride? What do you call a group of Tigers?) of Siberian Tiger shifters. We didn't know their numbers, hell, we didn't even know them personally, but there was an unspoken law amongst shifter kind: we help our own. Within reason of course.

"_**Not to my knowledge. I can always be wrong though. If I had to guess, I would guess a small animal like you suggested Embry."**_

We waited roughly five more minutes, before their was a smooth movement into our pack mind, and it wasn't anyone who'd we'd left in Washington. We looked at one another, with a comical look mirroring itself on all of our faces, before we turned to look as we heard the sound of paw against snow. Against the stark whiteness of the snow, you could see the bottom part of the paw resting on the snow. Dark purple bubble things were gathering at the stumps, building up straight for a short while, before expanding and beginning to form a body.

It was..peculiar..but let's face it, it's hardly the weirdest thing I've seen. It looked like he had some form of ability.. Still, in case this wasn't our expected guest, we all tensed, and bared our teeth, bunching together so that we couldn't be sneak attacked. Once the shape of a wolf appeared, the purple bubbles disappeared, leaving a small, furred wolf with different coloured eyes looking at us. His posture, while not aggressive in any form, wasn't submissive either, reassuring me because him being forced to bow down to me wasn't the best way to meet. Plus, I knew he was a he, was because of his scent. It can tell you a lot of things, believe you me.

"_**Are you Strawberry-Honey-Forest's friend?"**_

For a minute, I was very confused. I say for a minute, because there were two things I realised. One, the image he was projecting into the pack mind was of Bella's wolf- chained up like a wild animal. She didn't look well at all- her fur having lost its unique shine and being matted with blur, she had clearly lost weight, there were other serious injuries- it looked like her paw was bent the wrong way.

But the minute I saw her eyes, in their chocolate brown glory, I knew instantly that it was my Bella. Two, there was something about wolves that not many people knew. Mainly because wolves couldn't speak English and Human's couldn't speak wolf, but it was a true statement all the same. While we couldn't speak to any other species of animal, we could speak to those apart of the canine family. But only in wolf form. So yes, technically I could be a dog whisperer. Anyway, canines referred to one another by their scent. I _did _say we could tell a lot by one's scent. While the name could be lost to interpretation by us sometimes- wolves didn't call the smell of cars the smell of cars, for example- it was easy enough to interpret sometimes.

Of course, this practise could tell us a lot about a wolf. For example, I could tell that this Pup was a shifter. Why? He called a strawberry a strawberry. Every wild-born wolf that I'd ever met- which was quite a few by this point, some travelled through La Push on occasion, and there were the ones we'd met going for our runs- had referred to them as 'sweet red mush berry'. I cocked my head, but nodded. It seemed like this was our ally. And Bella was right- he was definitely on the young side. But then again, since our ages freeze when we become wolves- we had no idea how old he actually was.

"_**We are."**_

His head turned to look at the two accompanying Leeches, with hardened eyes. His ears spread back in a sign of aggression, and his teeth were revealed by the curl of his lip. The Pup must have good instincts if he was so aggressive towards the Leeches.

"_**You trust them?"**_

He seemed curious, but also appalled. I didn't take offence, mainly because it was pretty rare, but also because I didn't trust them. It sounded bad, but I was only working with them because I had to. I was suddenly grateful that they weren't the ones with mind reading powers. Mirroring his look, but more discretely, I shook his head as his eyes returned to me.

"_**Not as far as I could hunt."**_

That was the wolf equivalent of 'as far as I could throw them', so there's a fun fact. Wolves couldn't throw… so the expression as we knew it would go over their heads. Plus it meant more when phrased like that, because you can hunt extremely far, almost infinitely so, yet you can only throw so far. I think I got far too into that explanation. The wolf nodded, before hiding his teeth. He was still on edge though.

"_**Good. What is your name?"**_

"_**Are you human born?"**_

His eyes almost hardened, and his fur raised. Sensing that it was perhaps a bad question to ask, and a bad topic to bring up, Embry went into damaged control almost immediately. He was good at placating people, even when he himself was riled up. He gave me a sideways glance though, telling me with his eyes that I probably shouldn't have been so blunt.

"_**What he means is that would you rather our human-born names or our scent-names?"**_

He visibly relaxed a little bit, but was still tense. He turned around and started a slow walk, as I turned around to face the Leeches, gently flicking my head after him to hint to them to follow. If they didn't, well it was hardly my fault. I'd kinda rather they didn't but it hardly mattered. We did need transport back, and I'd rather not try to explain to Russian Authorities how we _slightly _illegally invaded their countries borders.

"_**You speak remarkably like wolves for human-borns. Your scent-name please."**_

"_**Curved-Blackened-Tree"**_

I translated. Similarly to Sam, I happened to have the scent of oil around me. Of course, they didn't know it as oil, so they referred to it as the 'Burning Black'. I also smelt like rubber, but they referred to that as 'Curved Small Tree'. To complicate things further, the name 'Burning-Black Curved Small Tree' was rather long winded and difficult to say. So, if we heeded a few slightly complicated grammar rules, my name ended up being what it was. If we looked at the original words and translations, the final name ended up being a far cry from what it was. Just trust me, it was the right name.

"_**Timber-Pine-Forest"**_

That was Seth's scent. The smell of cut timber and pine leaves, surrounded by the natural aroma of a forest. Evidently, whatever caused our scents were influenced by other factors, because Seth always worked with wood, as evidenced by the little charms and decorations that decorated Sue and Harry's cottage.

"_**Rain-Bark-Sky"**_

That was Jared, having one of the weirdest scents of the entire pack. See, 'sky' was because his scent was clear, not blended together like some of ours. Bark was after tree bark, not the noise bark, and, well, we hadn't quite deciphered the rain yet. It wasn't because he smelt of wet dog- he didn't, not to us anyway- but we theorised the rain came from how his scent had a sort of stormy, rainy scent around it. It was hard to explain, really.

"_**Blueberry-Summer-Wind"**_

Finally, Embry. Oddly akin to Bella, his scent was the most...fruity of our own. The scent of, well blueberries, lingered around him, as did the light breeziness of wind- if you could describe that as a scent, that is. With various other fruits mixed in, that was where the Summer came from- because many fruits that were associated with Summer took place in his scent. Hence, Summer. Our mysterious friend, who hadn't named himself, nodded, before beginning to pick up his pace, heading North.

"_**My name is Shadow-Dark-Sin. You may call me Shadow if you prefer. Follow me, and I shall take you to Strawberry-Honey-Forest."**_

That was a very.. unique name to say the least. His scent was dark, shrouded and hidden, so faint it was difficult to pick out. 'Sin'.. I wasn't going to ask. I'd never heard of a wolf with a name like his though..but I definitely wasn't going to ask due to his last reaction. A brief moment later, he broke into a fast run, causing my pack to flock behind me, and the Leeches behind them as he took us to Bella- and I was thirsting for vengeance.

* * *

We skidded to a stop on a small hill, and upon looking over it, there was a small facility. It had grey stone bricked walls, and was built quite high, with a flat roof. The snow surrounding it was pristine, almost untouched, but judging by the whiffs of Leech that I kept getting (The other Leeches were downwind from me, so their scent was flowing away from me), they were here, or had been recently.

"_**What's the plan?"**_

Storming in could cause risk to Bella, so that wasn't an option. There were nods and senses of agreements, so I knew they agreed with me there. As much as I wanted to storm in immediately, and tear apart whatever got in front of me, both the rational side of me and my wolf knew that it was a_ very bad_ idea.

"_**So we need to sneak in."**_

The Cullens had gone to 'scout' they said, but I had no idea if they were actually doing what they said they were doing or not. In which case, we had to move quickly in case they dropped us in it, or got us into some situation that made stealth impossible.

"_**How many entrances are there?"**_

"_**Two"**_

Shadow replied- that nickname seemed the least offensive then his entire name- pawing the dirt with his claws as the wind whipped around us. Bella was so close..

"_**Front main entrance, and a side staircase that leads up to the second floor. Strawberry-Honey-Forest was on the ground floor when I saw her, which you can only get down to by taking the stairs which are accessible on the first floor."**_

So either way, we had to get in the building before we could get anywhere near Bella. That also meant there was a hidden floor that we couldn't see. I stood tall over the cliff, turning my head away from the pack as I looked once more at the place where Bella was. Or where she could be. No, it wasn't worth thinking about. They continued to discuss the plan of attack behind me, and while I was still paying attention to what they were saying, my mind couldn't help but drift.

_You know the time to be Alpha is nearing._

It was almost phrased as a question, but there was no question about it. It was a statement. A fact. Something that was inevitable. It didn't matter what I thought about it or what I had to say about it, it was going to happen, one way or another. It was in my blood, that I knew… but did I even want to be Alpha? I'd shrugged it off for so long now, not thinking I was ready, not thinking that I was a good leader. But despite that, something was forcing me to become Alpha, instinctive or not.

"_**I possess the power to manipulate shadows. I can use them to hide you as we sneak in. It will also hide your scent so you do not need to worry about that."**_

_It is not that I wish to force the position on you, despite my own instincts to lead. It is that I, and the other wolves, sense oncoming danger. We do not know what. It is our hope to prepare you all for the coming danger._

The over-arching thoughts took a minute to process. Turns out, I was right in my suspicions of Shadow having a power, much like Bella. Why do certain wolves have abilities? It wasn't something that was exactly common- and as far as I was aware, Bella was the only one to possess an ability in our pack. And she'd had that before she'd become one of us- so was it really a wolf thing? Anyway, the second thought was 'the oncoming danger' that my wolf was referring to. What on earth was it? That's rhetorical. Was it something to do with Bella? God, I hoped not. She was strong.. but she'd been through enough. Putting the thoughts of impending danger at the back of my mind as something to concentrate on later, I instead focussed on Bella, which I should've been doing from the first place.

"_**I think we should go with that. What entrance is the best entrance?"**_

"_**Front."**_

"_**Side-Staircase."**_

Jared and Embry both called out at the same time, before looking at one another comically. Seth was just watching the ensuing word debate with amusement, but they were about fifteen seconds away from escalating to yelling. A low growl, quiet but commanding, erupted from my throat, warning them to calm down. I was effectively being steam rolled over, forcing me to call them to heel before they either gave our position away, or became louder and louder until we might as well be sneak attacked, because we would never hear them coming.

"**Quiet. Stop Arguing."**

They shut up faster then I could say Quileute. I had been paying attention to their various arguments, but I wanted another perspective. Luckily, I had two wolves who would be willing to give their perspective, and likely wouldn't break into an argument.

"_**Seth? Shadow? Your views?"**_

"_**I think the side entrance would be the best way. It is likely to be less guarded, and while we enter through the second floor, it is a lot less open and sneakier in the long run."**_

"_**I agree with Timber. I entered through the stairwell, and it is largely cluttered, making it easier to **__**manoeuvre**__** throughout. The main entrance is small, but open, so that even with being hidden in the shadows, it takes one mistake to **__**be noticed."**_

With the argument largely settled, Shadow nodded as we began to walk down and around the cliff, with the purple bubble things building up around our paws, and slowly obscuring us from sight.

_We're coming Bella._

* * *

Author's Note

Hiii!

How are you all today? My Nan went home today, and I just came back from bowling and eating out with my friends. So, I've had fun.

Other then that, I'm kinda sad but also happy about returning to school on Wednesday. I'll miss my lie ins, but I'm getting to that point where I'm just ridiculously bored most of the time.

But anyway, last thing to mention before I go to the question of the week. I'M SORRY ABOUT LYING. I had every intention to have the rescue this chapter... but I started writing... and well, battle analysis happened? And character defining? And Jake stepping into his role of Alpha? But it _will _be next week. Of this, I promise.

Trust me, this is the last precluding chapter. We'll have our two love birds- err, wolves, back together, and the Edward & Victoria shall be resolved, one way or another.

Anyway, here is this week's question. What is a movie that you normally wouldn't like, but do? By this I mean, say you dislike comedy, but like a specific comedy movie. My example would be Misery, or the Final Destination series. Normally, as a general rule, I despise horror, but after reading Misery the book and learning the concept of Final Destination, I was curious. And such, my two favourite horror films (well, one favourite and favourite series) are them.

Anyway, I've got to skedaddle. I've got some school prep to do (at 21:07, meh) and some coffee to inhale because I'm tired.

See you all next time!

~Cait


	20. Chapter 20 - Because You Loved Me

For all those times you stood by me  
For all the truth that you made me see  
For all the joy you brought to my life  
For all the wrong that you made right  
For every dream you made come true  
For all the love I found in you  
I'll be forever thankful baby  
You're the one who held me up  
Never let me fall  
You're the one who saw me through through it all

You were my strength when I was weak  
You were my voice when I couldn't speak  
You were my eyes when I couldn't see  
You saw the best there was in me  
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach  
You gave me faith 'cause you believed  
I'm everything I am  
Because you loved me

Because You Loved Me, by Celine Dion, from the album Falling Into You, released in 1996

* * *

**Notes. There is a brief allusion, and I mean _brief_ allusion to rape. It does not happen, but Jacob is worried that it could have. There is also graphic descriptions of abuse carried out on Bella, so be aware of this as you read. It is not my intentions to trigger anybody, so please, please, miss out the underlined parts or just this chapter in general if you are not comfortable.**

* * *

Being absorbed in the shadows was one _odd _experience to say the least. If Bella's shield was warm feeling and comfortable, then his shadow power was cold, and foreign, kinda like the snow hammering down above us. Of course, snow was hardly foreign to us considering we lived in Washington, but the country and the sheer amount of snow most certainly was something we weren't used to.

The _whole _experience was weird to us as it was. To be in the shadows- well that could be interpreted as something dark (hah) and dodgy, or something illusive and mysterious. But that wasn't the way I meant it at all. It was like we were walking under the ground if that made sense. Below us, there was a smooth purple path that we were all treading along, without any effort required.

Above us, you could see what I thought was the sky- I think it was what we would see if we were actually walking normally. God, I'm terrible at explaining things, aren't I. Anyway, we walked along in silence, and I found myself disliking this whole scenario. It just.. felt weird. Like we were bodiless, when we actually weren't.

Of course, just because I disliked the feeling didn't mean I was going to treat the kid any differently. Especially not because of a power he had- that would be like me treating Bella differently because of her shield. I wouldn't do that. We stopped padding along after a minute, as the underside of what looked to be a concrete wall came into view. Shadow turned to face us all, which consisted of one glance since we were in a straight line essentially.

"_**Follow me up here, and we arrive out at the second floor. I will let you know if there are any Vampires."**_

In front of Shadow, who was leading, there was a purple staircase. He slunk up it slowly, and at the top a square purple door appeared, as he walked through it, disappearing from sight. Since I was next in the queue, I walked up through it, blinking rapidly at the influx of light. I kept walking forward as my entire perception twisted and warped for a minute, giving me an odd sense of vertigo.

After the last of us exited whatever you wanted to call 'the shadows', the doorway shut closed without any fanfare. We padded along quietly, but the whole thing seemed off. Call me cautious, but the lack of vampire smell or company was jarring. We made it down a flight of stairs and to the first floor without any issues. There was no noises made from any of us, we didn't knock anything over, and we didn't come across one of the two different Leeches we were hoping to maul.

Well, I don't know if Shadow wanted to maul them, but we definitely did. Now we were just making our way to the stairs that would take us to my Imprint. There was an odd smell emanating from the stairs, and it was only proceeding to get stronger as we neared the stairs. It encouraged me to hurry up but I couldn't risk Bella's life.

The smell was sickly, smoggy, and alarm bells started ringing- not that they weren't already. The smell was distinct of a _sick wolf, injured wolf, lost wolf, _and I wanted nothing more then to find the source of it. But I think I knew the source of it… and at this point, I was just kidding myself.

Stairs, I had come to find out, were pretty evil when they wanted to be. Not only were they long, but they were difficult to navigate when you were a quadruped. You had to carefully position your back paws so that they were both on a step, and then you had to _very carefully _manoeuvre your front paws down a step, before inverting the process and repeating it.

See, it even _sounded _complicated. Plus, another downside of stairs, they were often confining, especially if they were used for secret purposes. It's cliché, I know, but it was also true. I think that either of the Leeches couldn't make this any less dingy if they tried. Although I would've thought that mind-reader Leech wouldn't settle for anything less then 'rich' considering the house they live in.

Can you tell I'm trying to distract myself from whatever we're going to find down there? A part of me was just thinking that everything would be okay, that it was all sunshine and rainbows. But obviously, I knew that was unlikely. The facts that we had just didn't add up into that. Her abnormal bond state.. the peculiarity of our bond, the lack of contact available, _the sick smell emanating from the basement._

If all that added up to good things, then I was evidently stupid. The innocent side of me was not one I indulged in often, one I couldn't _afford _to indulge often. Not if I wanted everyone to be safe.. or as safe as I could make it. Shadow paused, his fur almost invisible- _like a shadow- _against the wall, stopping in the slight straight that was there before you got to the door.

"_**Tree should go first, as Strawberry's mate. It is one's right, and upon being separated, a mate's first sight should be their mate upon reunion."**_

There was something _old _about the words he was repeating. Old and weighty. He was either older then we had first anticipated, or had been through something so traumatic that he'd been forced to grow up. Although, there was something that was nagging at me- whether he knew it or not, he was human born.

His mannerisms and idiosyncrasies were too _human _to be a coincidence. But remembering his earlier reaction to the word 'human-born', I wasn't going to mention it. Shadow was an enigma.. and one that I wanted to find out. Nodding, I nudged open the door as quietly as I could, the five of us entering the room with a melancholic silence.

"_**Bella?"**_

There was no answer, no feeling of the comfortable barrier slipping over us, no soft words of love or even a _hint _that she was there. Searching in the pack mind, where the slot that was distinctly Bella's rested, we could feel the shield. We pushed, and we pushed, we knocked, we did everything we could. Even Shadow tried, poking at it as soft as one would stroke a puppy, but it made no difference. _There was no answer._

The stench of blood, of sick wolf, only became stronger as we paced towards where it was coming from, and I could feel tremors adorn my body. But it wasn't the tremors that came with phasing, or when my wolf came too close to the surface, no, it was one of _fear. _Real, unadulterated, undiluted, _fear. _In the middle of this musty room, there was a black box. I looked at Shadow, and he nodded slowly. This was where Bella was.

The blanket was no normal blanket, rather being dense and almost impossible to see through, even with our enhanced eyesight. I grabbed the corner, feeling the heavy weight of it and the rough texture within my mouth, before digging my back paws in and tugging it off, bit by bit, inch by painful inch. Then there was a cage, with metal bars that were difficult to pry apart. I could tell that just by looking at them.

But that wasn't what I was looking at, no, it was at the wolf lying on it's side _within _the cage that I was looking at. Her frame was thin, her skin looking like it was clinging to her bones. It only severed to make her injuries more prominent. Clumps of fur were matted with blood, thick and dense, knotted to the extent it didn't look like separate strands of fur. It looked like part of her rib cage had partially caved in, being indented in the shape of a fist.

Her front paw was misshapen, broken, with drips of blood patiently oozing- that wound had been recent. There was something wrong with her hind leg, with it pulled back _far more _back then it should have been. On the floor, near her muzzle, there were two teeth, jagged, and bloody. That would explain the trail of blood coming from her mouth to the floor.

And that was ignoring the chains, attached to the bars of the cage, and wrapped around both her midsection, and all four of her legs. They were digging deeply into her flesh, blood similarly clumping around it like it was in the rest of her fur. If it wasn't for the shallow rise and fall of her chest, I would… I would think she was.. think the _worst. _I can't bring myself to say it. The thing is, despite all the injuries, I _knew _it was my Bella.

Deep within my soul, my mind, I knew. I didn't need to see her eyes, or her fur, or even her voice to know it. Both me, my wolf, and _everyone in the room, _knew it was Bella. I could feel my stomach churn, vomiting becoming a real possibility, and I could almost feel myself pale. We didn't waste any time, with the five of us trying to break open the _cage._

God, he'd kept her in a cage, chained up like a wild animal. What a sick _bastard. _No, bastard was too tame, but I had a lack of words to explain my convoluted emotions. We needed to get it open, but without aggravating the shackles on her various limbs. We were strong, but without leverage, we couldn't get it open- we wrapped our teeth around that (the bars), they weren't coming out, but a few teeth would be.

"_**Find something to use as a brace. Make sure it's long- like a belt."**_

That sent several thoughts off in my head as we scoured the lower floors, and none of them were good. It was a deep, dark thought, taboo, and I_ hoped and prayed_ that if that_ Leech_ had any fucking sanity, he hadn't touched her in that way. If he did- there was nothing that could stop us from tearing him limb from limb.

We opened some of the large boxes, only to see that they were filled with either fabric, or thread. But they all looked significantly aged. This must have been a textile factory at some point in the past. Perhaps it was significant in Russia's history, but I wouldn't know. History had never been my strong suit.

"_**Found something."**_

Seth's voice was quiet and subdued, and I felt a flash of regret flood through me. Again, I wished I hadn't chosen Seth to go with me. I wish I'd picked Quil, or Paul, or Leah. Anyone but innocent Seth. I snapped out of the thoughts quickly, nodding as Seth trotted in front of me, a large trail of what looked to be a leather belt trailing behind him. Not as in the one you would wrap around your waist, but the ones that would go around old machines to tug them along.

This one was severed, but it was most definitely strong enough to do what we needed it to do. Everyone gathered back together once more, as we looped the belt around one of the bars that didn't have a shackle attached, and pressed it together. It was easier then one would think, considering our lack of opposable thumbs. Once that was done, we all got into position, alternating being on different sides, and bit into it hard. We tugged, claws scrabbling against the concrete, as we pulled.

Creak by anxious creak, tug by vicious tug, the bar came loose, sending us all jolting backwards with a large crack. While we had a reaction, Bella hadn't- no twitch or whine, and that only served to prove how her desperate her condition was. We repeated the process for the other bars, and after ten minutes_\- ten minutes too long- _we had successfully broken off one of the walls of the cage.

I was about to try and collect myself enough to phase, to take note of how she was, but I was interrupted by the smell of Leech. I turned sharply on my hind legs as did the rest of the pack, and _hissed. _They say when a wolf gets too angry or too upset, growls and snarls turned to hisses. Evidently, that was true- or I was part shifter cat or something.

"It's just me, Carlisle. I've got medical supplies."

He was calm, and just appeared out of nowhere, but he approached us nonetheless. Although still angered about where he had disappeared off too, I couldn't deny that Bella needed medical attention that I couldn't give her.

So, we parted at my command, and he approached the still form of Bella. You could hear a pin drop as he sucked in his breath, and that was how you _knew _things were bad. Still, he went down on his knees, noting her various injuries, as well as reaching for the scruff of her neck, feeling for what was probably a pulse.

"There's a pulse. She's still alive, but she needs medical attention, urgently. We need to get her back to the plane- but I'll do all I can to stabilise her for now."

I sat down next to Bella's limp form, watching diligently as Carlisle opened his bag, which was filled with various medical supplies. He looked at her, before carefully moving around the shackles. He wrapped his cold hands around them, and tugged them apart with ease, leaving an indent in Bella's fur. He moved all around her, doing the same until he got to the one around her midsection.

That one didn't look like it was going to come off any time soon, because it was so tight around her ribs, that even I could tell that removing it could break her ribs… worse then they were already. Slowly, Carlisle moved to where the chain to the shackle was attached, before pulling it off, causing it to clang to the floor, bloodstained and bent. While it was still attached to her ribs, at the very least she could be moved now.

"I can't remove the chains without damaging her ribs further. It'll have to stay on until I can remove it at my home."

The fact that Carlisle was explaining everything he was doing, helped calm me down. It was in that moment that I realised something crucial. I couldn't trust him and his Coven to do anything for the well-being of Bella or the pack, _but _I could trust him to keep her alive right in this moment. And this is what kept me from lunging at his throat every time I saw him move her injuries, every time I imagined what he and his Coven put Bella through when they upped and left.

I moved around, nosing her on one of the few uninjured spots, hoping to elicit some response. I got none. Not even a huff or puff. Shifting out of the way, Carlisle approached her jaw, pressing his fingers underneath her lip and pulling it up, showing her full row of teeth. Or rather, her full row minus two. He moved his fingers away, before carefully cleaning a wound that was aggravated and sore.

"Can you make a stretcher? We need to move her."

Although it pained me to move away from Bella, I had to make sure we could get her out of here. We separated as I threw a wayward glance at Bella, before trying to find either a large pole, or a long, strong, thin piece of fabric. I guess it was a good thing that we were in a textile factory. It was one of the few things I could be positive about.

Positivity wasn't easy to have when your Imprint, who you haven't seen for so long, is unconscious and severely injured. Jumping up on my hind legs, I rested my paws on the large box, poking my head over the top in an odd imitation of a dog. Bella would probably call it cute.. Using my front paws to hold myself steady, I pushed off the floor and landed neatly in the box.

In case I hadn't mentioned it before, when I said box, I mean like those giant industrial boxes. Thick wooden planks, deep and filled with different things. Pawing at the bottom, there were a series of sheets of fabric. Different textures, and smells, and strengths, so I did what anybody who didn't know two damns about fabrics did- kick them out, with a backward scrabble.

Kinda like cats in litter trays, just minus the litter tray. Perhaps not my best analogy. Once it was empty, I jumped out, clearing the border with ease.

"_**Seth, you any good at recognising fabrics?"**_

"_**I can recognise a few, why?"**_

"_**I found a whole box ton that we could use for the stretcher."**_

Between all of us, Seth was the most likely to be able to identify fabrics. I had no chance of knowing, because my Dad wasn't particularly crafty, (or at least not with fabrics), Embry's Mom wasn't particularly creative either, and Jared.. well, the last time she tried to make anything, we had a fallen down wall to contend with. To be honest, that was probably why Jared had Kim cook for him so often.

Seth appeared from round the corner, nose snuffling and his own claws carefully poking at the threads. As he poked through the large pile, I returned to searching for metal. The confined room and the fact that it smelled mostly like sick wolf made it difficult to narrow down the scent of sick wolf, because it was so overwhelming. Pushing it aside, I got the smell of copper. I waited and double checked the scent, because it could so easily be blood, but no, from what I could tell, it was actual copper.

I didn't need to check however, because this time Jared had found some steel rods. The ends were jagged and sharp, but I took one of them from where he was nudging it, carefully gripped it in my mouth, turned my head, and dragged it along the concrete. The sound was _ear-splitting, _like nails down a chalkboard, but it was blunting the edges so that they were easy enough to carry. While I was doing one pole, Jared was doing the other, so the noise was doubly as bad.

Still, with a bit of superhuman strength, and a strong force, they were blunt. As we returned to Carlisle, Seth did with a deep purple fabric, draped around on his back like a cape. Even if the purple was a bit off putting. Carlisle turned away from where he was working on Bella, and I could see four bandages matching the injuries that she was given by the cuffs, and there was two IV's being hung up on the bars.

One was a deep ruby red, the other was a clear, gooey like substance. I guessed the former was blood- leaving me absently wondering how he knew her blood type- and the latter was something to do with dehydration. Carlisle _flitted _over to us- that's how Bella referred to it, I remember,- a needle in his hand, connected with a white thread. We dropped the stretcher materials on the floor, and nudged the poles in line.

Carlisle folded the fabric up and around the pole, before his hand became a blur as he rapidly sowed the flap together. I blinked, looking at the rows of neat white stitches, as he did the other side. He then dragged it over to Bella's side, before frowning as he crouched down.

Before he could even verbally say anything, our home-made stretcher momentarily disappeared in a flash of purple, before it appeared under Bella, without jostling Bella in the slightest. Then, dark purple barriers made their way around the edges of the stretcher, and I found myself thanking Shadow silently, as he nodded.

"I'm going to need someone to help me carry her."

I took a deep breath, before closing my eyes and trying to get it together enough to phase back. _I can't get her back without being human. We can't carry her as wolves. _I bit into my lip, before eventually phasing. Perhaps it was the desperation to save my Imprint that did it. Carlisle threw me a t-shirt and jeans, slightly too big for me and draping over my body, but it would at least keep me warm.

Carlisle grabbed the front of the stretcher with ease, and I carried the back, with the other four wolves flanking us on two sides. As we hurriedly walked up the stairs, being forced into single file, I found myself looking at her limp form with human eyes, and begging for her to be alright.

_Please Bella, hold on._

* * *

Author's Note

Hello!

So I'm back at school now. *Sigh* Got two tests (not exams) coming up this week, Chemistry and Maths. That'll be fun. And when I don't have tests coming up, I keep getting reminded about _next _years exams. Which, y'know, aren't until next May. I do love my life sometimes.

But I should stop complaining, because I'm far from the only one in that scenario. So, for a more _exciting _topic. Well, exciting for me. The _original, original, _Bloodmoon, was a grand total of seven chapters long, which was twenty four pages, and had a grand total of 15,594 words upon completion.

Bloodmoon now, the rewritten version, currently unfinished, is 69, 259 words right now, twenty chapters long, and 123 pages. But anyway, it's not _that _statistic I want to go over. As of now, we have a grand total of 85 reviews, 69 favourites, and 116 followers, with 14,380 views. That's... awe inspiring, it truly is. I've never had so many people comment on something I've written, and the fact that _so many of you _love my story means more to me then I can ever express.

I know I've mentioned it before, but _thank you all. _Thank you for your support,your reviews, your views, and for supporting the story of a sixteen year old. Yes, age drop. I'm sixteen in case you didn't guess sooner. Anyway, from the bottom of my heart, _thank you all. _I owe you a lot more then I can ever say.

On that joyful note, I have a question of the week for you. It's got to be a special one, but I'm really, really unoriginal. So, here it is. What is one thing you don't understand about yourself.

It's a rather loaded question, and there's an awful lot that I don't know about myself. I guess the most pressing question is why I often feel left out and an outsider. I have some ideas, but nothing concrete. My main idea is that because I'm so much of a tomboy, most girls don't feel comfortable talking to me. And the boys.. well, I'm a girl so they obviously won't talk to me. So it leaves me in a weird place, because I don't really fit in with many people.

There are other notable things, but I guess that's the first thing to spring to mind.

Anyway, I've got to go to bed, but I'd better finish this off first. Thank you once again for reading, reviewing, even just interacting with this story. I really appreciate it, and my heart swells thinking about all of you readers.

Have a great week, and I'll see you all next time!

~Cait


	21. Chapter 21 - This Is Why We Bleed

This is why we bleed, this is why we scream  
But we won't run away  
This is why we know, that we must go  
So we can fight today  
You can make me bleed, you can make me scream  
But I won't run away  
This is how I know that I must go  
So I can fight today

Open your eyes to the world unknown  
Fighting the lies of the dark alone  
But you're still bleeding  
And it's still feeding  
Don't fight the dark alone

This Is Why We Bleed, by Leader, from the album This Is Why We Bleed, released in 2016

* * *

**Note: There are more graphic descriptions of injuries. I will underline parts that follow this, so they can be easily avoided. If this is likely to trigger you, please either miss out the segments underlined, or skip this chapter entirely.**

* * *

Psychic Leech still hadn't reappeared. I hadn't forgotten about their disappearing stunt, instead focusing on my Imprint. We got her to the plane with ease, taking it slow and gentle, but once I got on the plane, fury burned up my body like standing in a flame. An ungodly roar shook the metal belly of the plane, my fangs stuck out, and my posture spread like the Alpha wolf I was.

I stood tall, my Pack falling into position by my sides, as we laid Bella down on the plane. My wolf slotted neatly into place in my mind, as wolf fur threatened to crawl up my skin, claws threatening to stretch out and _rake _across them, like claws had raked across her body. The sharp increase of my senses became noticeable, as the smell of Leech whirled around my body, taunting me and _begging _me to lunge, to attack, to maul like a wolf hunting its prey.

You might ask why I was so furious, because after all, Bella was safe, certainly safer then she was a day prior. That was true. But no, I wasn't furious at that, it was a moment to rejoice after all. No, I was furious at the fact that _Edward Fucking Cullen _was sitting at the far, far back of the plane, sitting next to his _fucking sister-Leech _like nothing had happened.

Like he _hadn't _almost beat Bella to death. He was so _fucking lucky _that she had enhanced healing, because if she had been a baseline human? She'd of been dead five fucking times over.

The minute Bella was placed down, with purple barriers folding over her, I sprinted, shifting with a blaze of _fury _and _anger _and the urge to _protect, _that sent the loose clothes I was wearing fluttering around me, as I barrelled down the isles, straight towards _Cullen, _who stood up slowly. My vision almost changed down to a single focus on the one I wanted to murder, before the Psychic Leech tackled me head on, whilst I was mid charge.

I was sent flying back down the isle, as I quickly disappeared down into the shadows thanks to Shadow's intervention. I charged along the corridor before bounding up the steps, appearing just past the Psychic who was splayed on the floor, preparing for another tackle, and getting closer and closer to the one I wanted to murder.

"Jacob, Stop!"

That voice came from no one in my Pack, so I ignored it, lunging at Cullen, claws outstretched, as he stepped out of the way, the best he could. Landing on my paws, I turned around, charging once again, and this time grabbing his arm. My teeth found their vengeance on his arm, cracks spreading rapidly as I bit deep, tearing my head from side to side to pull his arm off. With a sickening shriek, it came off, allowing me to discard it with a toss of my head.

My Pack were trying to get to me, jumping over seats as they fought to get to my side. They kept getting intercepted by Psychic Leech and Doctor Leech, so I was on my own for now, anger fuelling my moves. I roared again, charging forwards, but I anticipated his attempt to move, and corrected my course accordingly. I landed another bite, but he simply flung his leg out, with me still hanging on, as he tried to dislodge me.

"Jacob! We'll make you a deal!"

Carlisle didn't seem like he cared that I wasn't paying attention, and I could hear him sidestepping the angry jaws of one of my wolves. Getting up from where he flung me, I pounced once more, dodging a kick, before setting upon him once more, my claws scratching across his legs, leaving crystal-like spiralling marks across his skin.

He _was not _getting away with what he did to Bella, I don't care if he had a _fucking _illness, he still did God knows what to Bella, and the _shit _she's been through because of him only fuelled my anger further.

"Edward's cured now. We are unsure as to how the cure worked, but he's 100% Edward. I checked. If you leave him be, we'll go back to Forks, and once Bella is on the mend, we will leave, forever."

The furious side of me, the one that thirsted for blood, for vengeance, to reclaim Bella's stolen honour, was screaming at me to go ahead and maul him. To harm him like he had harmed my Imprint, to make him realise the _pain _she had gone through while he had kept her in captivity. The more rational side of me, the angry but level-headed, encouraged me to listen, to see if I could twist it to my Pack's advantage.

If they left forever, we could stop people from phasing in the future, to stop children having to grow up so quickly, to stop them from being immortal until they gave up their wolf. So they didn't have to watch those they loved die. And ultimately, that side of me won, causing me to step back, my growl still steady, but my attention equally poised between Doctor Leech and Blood-Sucker-Mind-Reader Leech. I was not letting him get the jump on me.

"_**You will hold yourself to this deal? You will truly leave forever?"**_

I was aware that the Leech could read my mind. Beneath the haze and anger, the double timbre of my voice became audible in both my growls and my thoughts. Carlisle looked at Edward expectedly, clinging to his detached arm with his remaining arm. He blinked his onyx eyes slowly, a forced action, as he translated to Carlisle, who had since returned to Bella's side, the purple shield dimming slightly.

"He's asking if you will take honour in the deal. If you will actually leave forever."

"Yes. If you would like, we can draft up a new treaty."

This was one reason why I would dislike being Alpha. Not that I had much option on whether to become it or not, but it was definitely a reason why I was against it. Anyone else, and they probably would have torn Edward apart by now, limb by limb, turning him to ash and dust. And I still very much wanted to do that, my anger hadn't simmered any. But I had to consider the pack, like I mentioned before.

_That, _was what was keeping me from tearing him apart, trying to juggle what I _wanted _to do, and what I should do. I took a calming breath in, looking at the pack who were spread over the interior of the plane. They each had their own opinion, even Shadow, who hadn't particularly taken part in anything, other then protecting Bella.

"_**We're really just going to let him get away with what he did? The fact that he was ill doesn't excuse what he did! Bella deserves better then that Jake!"**_

Jared's words hurt. The fact that he, however indirectly, implied that I didn't care about Bella, made my simmering blood come to the boil again. I levelled a glare at Jared, the urge to put him in his place strong and prevalent. How _dare _he say that! I curled my lip at him, barely remaining still as my claws dug deeply into the carpet.

"_**You think I want to Jared? That I don't want to maul him!? I know Bella deserves fucking better, but it's not just my wants that I have to consider! I have to consider the pack, and maybe you should consider that!"**_

Embry came forwards, his stance carefully neutral, as he tried to placate the two of us, who were just about ready to tear the other's throat out. Seth stood by the side, his belly low to the ground and his tail tucked in, in a submissive gesture. I wasn't angry at him, but I could imagine that I was making an impression with my alpha instincts reigning high.

"_**Maybe we should all take a breath and-"**_

"_**If I were her, I would be ashamed to be your Imprint."**_

The words, simple in nature, released the anger I'd been trying to suppress. I could hear Embry's sharp intake of breath as I lunged, teeth bared, my hackles raised and my fur up on edge. Realistically, when up against a pissed off Alpha wolf, he had no chance. He tried to back-pedal, only to be caught between a rock and a hard place.

Or to be specific, airline seats and a pissed off wolf. Seeing no way out, he charged towards me as we clashed together, his claws finding purchase in my side, as my teeth bit deeply into the scruff of his neck. Continuing to roll with the movement, as Jared thrashed trying to escape, I flipped him onto his back, before standing on top of him, my teeth hovering just a few centimetres away from his throat.

"_**Submit."**_

He continued to thrash as I bit down on his scruff, enough to scare and hurt, but not enough to permanently kill. I curled my lip as I bared my teeth, ears poised back and my claws deep. Jared slowly ceased his thrashing, his tail tucking in, as he tilted his head up to allow me to get a better angle.

"_**I submit Alpha."**_

Satisfied, I got off him, but not before a warning nip to the flank, clearly saying 'do not try this again'. He righted himself, but still kept his tail tucked in, as both Seth and Embry began to relax upon seeing that I wasn't about to kill Jared in front of them. I would never do that, even if he was out of turn. Satisfied and placated, I turned to face kidnapper-Leech, knowing he was our translator.

"_**Upon returning to Forks, we will convene with the Councils, and draft a new treaty."**_

Leech repeated my words to Doctor Leech, as I slunk over to Bella, before curling up next to her. Doctor Leech ran his hands over Bella's fur, looking his several tools. I tried my hardest to not focus on her injures, lest I risk losing it, and instead stared into where her brown eyes would be, yet they were covered by her closed eyelids. It was going to be a long flight.

The crunching of Bella's bones giving way under Doctor Leech's strength made me flinch, the sound haunting me forever. It repeated twice more, like a mantra, but one that I was quickly learning to despise. Despite the lack of an x-ray, from what I could tell, Doctor Leech was honouring his word, giving Bella the medical attention she desperately needed. Bandages were rolled around where the other chains had been clamped around her legs, clean and padded, protecting the exposed and inflamed skin from the outside elements.

She was looking slightly better now, still injured, still critical, but not as pale and _sick-smelling _as she was previously. Hooked up neatly on where you would store your hold-on luggage, were the two IV's from earlier, having been refilled. The hip was braced, a metal rod secured to the outside of Bella's skin. I ran my tongue along Bella's fur, trying to clean it the best I could, but with every lick I managed to get, I also got the taste of her copper-like blood.

Raising my head, I looked around at the plane. Kidnapper-Leech and Psychic-Leech were sitting next to one another in the cockpit, clearly having a conversation silently as they took us home from Russia. Jared was watching them with sharp and alert eyes, having not spoken since I'd slammed him into the ground. Whether he wasn't speaking because he was trying to keep calm, or some other reason I didn't know about, he was still trying to protect Bella.

Seth was curled up, softly sleeping, probably exhausted from his days of travelling. I couldn't begrudge him sleep, especially when he was so young. Embry was sat talking to Shadow. Speaking of which, we'd offered him a place in our pack. His help in getting us to Bella was _highly _appreciated, and his use of his powers to get us in even more so. We owed him more then we could ever describe, which was why we had offered him his place.

As the rightful Alpha of our Pack, (a position that after today, I realised I had to take) I ultimately had the right to make that decision. Nobody attested it. Truly though, I hadn't anticipated him to accept it- not after how he had responded to me asking him if he were human born. And he knew we were human born, so I had been doubting his acceptance. But _he did._

After fifteen minutes of deliberation, he did. Whether he had nothing to loose, or Bella had made an impression, he had agreed to join our pack on a trial run.

So, I wrapped my mind around his, had walked up to him, and had nipped him on the back of his neck, rubbing my scent all around him. The mark was light, my scent only slightly covering him, so that he could easily break out of the pack of he so wished. A pack wasn't a dictatorship, it was a family. Anyway, where was I. We were currently ten hours into this ridiculously long journey, and I could once again hear the thrum of Bella's heart, stronger then it was several hours ago.

I hadn't moved from my position, hadn't done anything but lightly, and I mean lightly doze, and watch Bella's still unconscious form, her fur still sleek with blood despite my best attempts at cleaning her. You could make out that her ribs were fighting to escape, and by that I mean you could clearly see them, even more so now that she had been slightly cleaned up, and some of her wounds sown up. Shadow raised his head up, ears flicking, as he looked towards Bella and me.

"_**When I got there, I brought food. She… Bella, looked like she'd been starved. It would explain her loss of weight."**_

Bella's name sounded foreign, and the gruff exterior of Shadow's voice almost folded away to a different accent, one that definitely wasn't Russian or American in nature. I couldn't place it, because it only emerged for the utterance of her name, but I was confident that if I heard it for longer, I'd recognise it.

As it was though, I realised that perhaps I'd never truly understand what Bella went through, because she might not want to tell me. And while the thought of her not confiding in me hurt, the feeling of losing her forever hurt more.

* * *

Two hours remaining. Bella was still unconscious. We still had a missing Leech on our hands- a red haired bitch who would be torn to pieces if she came near me. And this time, I meant it even more, because she didn't have any leverage over us. We'd concentrate on hunting her down once Bella was on the mend. Mind-Reader-Kidnapper-Leech, despite working with the cow despite being former enemies, supposedly had no idea where she could have disappeared to.

He was a _mind-reader, how _did he _not _know where she went? It's more believable that he did then he didn't, and once again, I didn't trust him at all. But the fact that Mister Repentant over there didn't say anything- well, it didn't fare well for his claims, did it? Still, my head was (metaphorically for once) ringing from the shift of time zones.

It'd changed so much that combined with my lack of sleep and appetite, my body was confused as hell. Truthfully, so was I. My schedules were absolutely fucked, I'll have you know. Once we'd gotten closer to the USA, we probably would be able to communicate with our long separated Pack, who I could sense faintly. Speaking of faint, I backtracked into our bond- mind and Bella's, that is.

It had definitely strengthened since we'd picked her up, but it was nowhere near how it was once we'd bonded. And honestly, I don't think it will until she wakes up. I had my eyes closed, but I was nowhere near asleep, just daydreaming in my head. My head was filled with memories of my life so far, focusing on all of the fun times I've had with Bella and my Mom. Cliche, I know, but it still applies. It wasn't like I had anything else to do.

I couldn't focus enough to watch a movie, eat, or drink, and I wasn't feeling particularly conversational, so hence, the thoughts. Gentle huffs of my breath escaped, giving the impression that I was asleep, as I tried to relax to the point where time would flood by quickly, but it wasn't being co-operative. I guess I _was _being a bit demanding.. especially something that wasn't exactly a physical entity.

I opened my eyes again to a rather bumpy landing. I'd somehow managed to slip into a light doze, and had awoken to landing. The reason, other then the turbulence and the distinct rumbling of the tires, was that there were suddenly two different wolves talking. Sam and Paul. It seemed like they were talking with the others. I stood up slowly, keeping my balance, as Doctor Leech was crouched by Bella's side, holding her steady.

It took a brief ten minutes to land, upon which the stairs opened, allowing Doctor Leech to carefully take Bella off of the plane, with Embry having phased and taking up the back. Edward had gone to help, but I cut that movement off with a growl before he could even get near. Also evidently, Sam had been caught up on what was happening, because he was sympathetic, and I could see his form lingering at the forest, upon exiting from the plane.

He didn't approach, and his fur was a mere speck in the distance, but it was most definitely Sam. Not acknowledging him, I followed behind Embry and Doctor Leech, as they gently carried Bella to a waiting car, where Tall-N'-Butchy was leaning against it. It didn't take them long to fold open the back and resting her form in the back. I jumped up, carefully manoeuvring around her form, before curling up next to her, watching her carefully.

The rest of us- Seth, Jared and Embry would switch out with Paul, Quil, and Leah. Shadow would continue to follow me, running behind. It wouldn't take us long to get to the Cullens, where they would finally finish up healing Bella to the best of their abilities. I just hoped that their best was what they did… and that they would honour their agreement.

* * *

Author's Note

Hello!

So.. I had every intention to have Jacob maul Edward more then he did. It would be entirely justified, considering the state of Bella. But then I realised that Jacob _would also _consider the needs of the Pack, even if it meant that he couldn't eviscerate Edward like he wanted to do. So, I compromised, after seeing that it wouldn't work for future storytelling purposes. That's why that segment about Jacob attacking Edward and tearing off his arm, and gnawing his leg is in there, as a compromise. Plus, I just _really _wanted Edward to get mauled. *shrugs*

As to why the cure worked on Edward, well, that will be mentioned next chapter. Please feel free to guess why.

Anyway, there's not really much else to talk about. Not in my life anyway. Pretty slow, pretty tiring, studying a text for English- _The Crucible. _I kinda hate plays. The story behind it though is pretty cool. I'll give it that at the very least.

Question of the Week before this becomes a fifty paragraph Author's Note: If you could have chosen your own name, what would you have picked? Keep in mind, you don't have to mention your actual name if you don't want to. Honestly, I'm not sure. My name is Caitlin, in case you didn't guess from the 'Cait' part in my name. I've always liked the name Eleanor, Evelyn or Sophia. The thing is, _just _because I like those names, doesn't mean they would suit me. Like, at all.

So there's a fun fact. Anyway, I'd better get back to writing. I won't get time tomorrow 'cause I'm going to see Grease at the outdoor cinema tomorrow.

Have a nice week, and I'll see you next time!

~Cait

(Oh look, it still ended up being really long)


	22. Chapter 22 - Mirrors

Aren't you something to admire, 'cause your shine is something like a mirror  
And I can't help but notice, you reflect in this heart of mine  
If you ever feel alone and the glare makes me hard to find  
Just know that I'm always parallel on the other side

'Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul  
I can tell you there's no place we couldn't go  
Just put your hand on the glass, I'm here trying to pull you through  
You just gotta be strong

Mirrors, by Justin Timberlake, from the album The 20/20 Experience, released in 2013

* * *

Bella's POV

Floating around, weightless, in this seemingly empty void, was somewhat peaceful. And, it gave me time to reflect. On a lot of things. My wolf, personified in her normal body, odd fur colour and all, was walking beside me, and we relished in the fact that we were single entities once more. Yet our near merging, despite the fact that we nearly became one, brought us oddly closer together, and not in the literal sense.

We had a much deeper understanding of one another, one another's psychology, and what influences our decisions. Which made our joint confusion at Jacob's decision all the more confusing and convoluted. See, a common misconception- one that I believed until certain events, considering the _last _time I was unconscious- was that if you were unconscious, you couldn't hear your surroundings. Fun fact- we_ could._

Everything else, smells, sight (obviously), touch, etcetera etcetera was muted, but sound?_ Yes._ Well, in technicality, we could feel something- but only if that something came into contact with us. So, like a blanket being draped over us. Anyway, so we had heard that whole argument between Jared and Jacob, their words causing a tremor in our void. And the tussle that followed after that.. and the other tussle between Edward and Jacob.

Having experienced the sound of a Vampire being torn apart when I was human, I can most definitely confirm that it gets worse when you become a wolf. So, between the two of us, we had a lot of information to dissect. Let's start with the easy one- Edward. From what we could decipher, Edward was most definitely still alive. The sound of his voice, sending tremors of fear down me, was one that was distinct, and unfortunately I'd recognised it all too much.

I'd heard the sound of at least one of his limbs being torn off, and the feral sounds of snarling that was reminiscent of Jacob. So there had most definitely been a fight. And I was confused on how to feel about that. There was definitely a hint of worry for Jacob- even though I was well aware he could look after himself- but there was also.. a hint of anger between the two of us.

I had moved on from Edward… and while I had been content, before all of this happened, to pretend that it had never happened, and file away a bad chapter of my life, now I wanted revenge. And that scared me, because I had never been a vengeful person by nature. I found myself.. longing for more damage caused to Edward, and judging by the look of my wolf, she agreed.

_Our honour as a wild wolf was stolen, our honour as a human-born was restricted. We were chained up, and attacked cowardly. It is natural that we wish for our Alpha to reclaim what was stolen, for more damage to be caused for the aggressor._

Rationally, I knew that Jacob had reasons for not tearing Edward apart. He had once promised, when we were young, to protect me to the very best of his ability, and to defend me with his very life. But that still did nothing to absolve my anger, because _I wanted more done. _

The words of 'treaty' and 'never return' did catch my attention, but I was still too furious to really understand them. But there was one thing that Jared was wrong about- I would _never _be ashamed of Jacob being my Imprint, even if I 'disagreed' with his decisions.

* * *

I didn't get much time to consider the other things on my list of things to consider, because our surroundings changed rapidly. No longer were we floating around in the black abyss, instead grounded on short green grass, young looking trees, and the brightest blue sky I had ever seen in my time on Earth. Small clumps of rock were scattered around, and suddenly a large pack of wolves appeared.

Any input from the world around us- the one I was currently unconscious in- was abruptly cut off, replaced by the warbles of new-born wolf pups, the excited barks and yips of adult wolves, and the distinct smell of raw deer lingering around.

Upon looking closer, I could see a very memorable wolf laying down, curled up slightly. With the mainly grey pelt with splodges of black, the hints of ginger lingering around the paws, and the muzzle being hugged with a sandy colour, it would be odd if I had forgotten who it was.

Either a coincidence or not, but the wolf I was gazing at was _most definitely _reminiscent of my wolf. The look on my wolves face- the one standing next to me- confirmed it immediately. She bowed her head sadly, as we witnessed the several young wolves clamber over my wolf- the one in whatever this was- and she playfully nudged them with her tongue. There were several other groups like this, playing with their younglings and nosing at segments of the massacred deer lingering just off in the forest.

I recognised the other wolf standing next to my wolf- oh dear God, this was going to get confusing- as Jacob's wolf, his russet fur standing bright and proud, only tinged with slight hints of blood. The pups, upon seeing him, tried to jump up on him, their stubby little back legs not having enough power to get them up here.

This time, I looked at my wolf- you know what, since I don't actually know her name, I'm just going to call her Spirit. As in, Spirit wolf- as she raised her head slowly, her eyes filled with emotion.

_This was my Pack. My everything. This was such a long time ago.. but I never forgot. I miss them._

The words were oddly reminiscent of Edward's words to me. Up till now, I had always assumed that my wolf had lived a long, eventful life. Evidently, I was wrong, and I rubbed the top of her head with my hand, in a reassuring gesture.

Her ears flopped down, and her tail drooped like a wilted plant. In front of us, the embodiment of my wolf had since sat up and licked Russet (a nickname for Jacob's wolf that was _highly _original) as they sat down next to one another, watching protectively over their pups.

"_**How is Whisper-Swift-Scout today?"**_

Spirit pined next to me, looking more and more uncharacteristic as time went on. My wolf stepped aside, revealing a small wolf, who had a blue-grey fur accompanied by russet patches. A rueful smile adorned on Spirit's face, as we watched the small wolf shaking underneath his mother's belly.

_He was my youngest. He was.. introverted I believe the term for it is. Strong as the others despite appearances, he was always the most innocent, and I perhaps had a little bit of a soft spot for him._

My wolf nudged him from underneath her, licking him from head to toe. Tufts of his fur stuck up, as his green eyes looking trustingly at his father, padding over to him, and moving around his paws like a cat would to a human. Gummy teeth appeared as he bared them, milk white but looking like they couldn't hurt anyone. A small, high pitched voice emerged as the pup stopped circling his father's paw, and instead headbutted them.

"_**I'm doing well Papa. I played with Wind-Blade-Green this sun-turn, and we played pounce!"**_

His little tail was wagging furiously as his father picked up by the scruff of his neck and carefully placed the pup on his back. Spirit looked on, fond, but there was an undercurrent of sadness in her eyes, and it only served to remind me that animals were indeed sentient, and could feel emotion. I couldn't help but feel like some people nowadays should heed that lesson.

_Sun-turn was our term for day. Moon-turn was our name for night. Wind-Blade-Green was the name of my brother's pup. The two of them were similar, and got along like they were blood-brothers. _

Spirit's lines of narration helped me understand the context that the current scene was portraying. There wasn't much I could say to her, about these wolves I had never met, but I yearned to comfort her like she did me so many times. The fact that she had been my guiding influence, had caused me to bring the pack and their wolves closer together, had helped me understand my convoluted feelings- well, it left me feeling more grateful then I could ever describe.

Feeling like I owed her more then I could ever describe. _I'm sure he was a fierce pup. _A sound that could only be described as a sad chuckle emerged shyly and sadly from Spirits throat, as we watched the two of them talk to one another, the younger pup going to play with his siblings.

_Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. I wouldn't know._

Well, that wasn't ominous at all. Without another word, we looked at at the pups, watching them carelessly clamber over their kin, trying to get fed by their mother. Papa wolf disappeared into the undergrowth, as we focused on the pups, each with different fur colours.

We all turned to look as we saw Russet stand on the top of a tall rock, Lion King style, and howl, a high pitched and attention bringing noise that got everyone to turn their heads in response. Including me. He stood tall and proud, his presence commanding and respect demanding, and his eyes wide and alert.

_**"Our best scouts have noticed that the humans edge nearer and nearer to the pack-site as each cycle passes. Soon, we will have to move. We must gather the pups together and make sure they are okay to travel. We leave in the next two moon-turns."**_

There was a chorus of 'Yes Alpha', as they all immediately noted his orders. So far, to me, it seemed like he was being responsible. Trying to keep his pack safe, the young safe, was a wise decision, one that definitely proved his worth as an Alpha. It might not have been the best scenario, but it certainly wasn't dire.

In the depths of Spirit's fur, I buried my hands, twisting locks of fur, and trying to sooth her in any way I could. Her ears were pressed down, before she crooned, a song of being lost, of memories, of the feeling of being a mother. I added a undertone to it, human like but distinctly not, to join the crescendo, to be a comfort, and to try and replicate the feeling of _pack, _a feeling I could never hope to mimic.

_He was a wise Alpha. Curved-Loyal-Tree always did what he could for us, often skipping meals if there was not enough to feed the pack. But his flaw- his need to prepare. If we had not prepared, we could have been long gone before.. the event. But because we stayed to prepare, to take everything we needed, to plan out where we should go, it allowed them time to catch up with us._

I could tell this was not going to turn out well. If humans back then were as bad as humans now in terms to hunting, then them catching up with the pack was never going to end up well. But Spirit shook her head, and I looked to her in question.

_It wasn't just the humans that attacked us that day._

The scene before us blurred rapidly, the sky shifting from a vibrant blue to a dull orange, then this time to a smoggy, dismal, grey. The trees become engulfed in fire, the tops of them shedding flames like a cat shedding fur. Much like that scene from Bambi, wild animals that had been near were fleeing, trying to escape from the encapturing flames.

The scene of the wolves lying down, curling up into one another was replaced by the strewn forms of both humans, wolves, and the ash of the fallen. I looked at my wolf in horror, my stomach churning and feeling like it was about to relieve me of its contents, as I looked at the pups, fur a blood red, wounds being carved out like you would a pumpkin. _They were so young.._

_The Humans and the Vampires did not care. Despite our intentions of peace, they blamed us when they used sacrilegious, immoral, and dangerous magic to resurrect their dead. They came back, but not the same. They hunted us down for something that was their own fault, and didn't settle until all of us were dead. All of us, that is.._

That was something I was going to have to process later, after I came to terms with this atrocious massacre. I could see the limp form of my wolf, Russet having fallen near her, her breaths shallow and almost ending. From underneath her, two small paws emerged from the ruff of her belly. I could see the claws digging, making small indents on the ground, as the legs tensed, dragging whatever it was out from underneath my wolf's _body. _

A few seconds passed, before a small head appeared, green eyes watering as he tugged himself out from underneath a fully grown wolf's body weight. Having only learned two of the pups names, I knew instantly what this one was called, and I suddenly felt the urge to cry.

I reached out to try and grasp him as he headbutted his mother uselessly, but my hand passed through like it was air. I wanted nothing more then to hug him, wrap him to my chest, protect him from all that was bad in the world. I settled for throwing my arms around Spirit's chest as the pup began to whimper, licking pitifully at his mother.

_**"Mama? We need to run, Mama. Pack are hurt, they have red-life coming out of them, I will try to protect you Mama, but we need to go, to run, to find Papa. Papa will protect us. Mama?"**_

I thought that my wolf had died, but judging by how she raised her head limply, and nosed her pup with a faint touch. He looked up with trusting green eyes, and if my heart wasn't broken before, it was now. Between all of the stuff I'd just witnessed, and the stuff I'd been through, I felt like my heart couldn't physically handle any more.

_**"Little one, Mama won't be able to go with you. But I will always be with you, standing by your side as you hunt. I give you a unique ability, Whisper-Swift-Scout, to wear a human's skin like they do."**_

"_**But why do I need to wear their skin? Humans are bad Mama."**_

He reminded her, like he thought it was obvious. Spirit buried her muzzle into my shoulder, as I ran my hands down her ears, trying to soothe the odd cry-like noise that was emerging deep within her throat. The current scenario allowed me to compartmentalise, to push back all the crap surrounding Edward and Jacob and limbs being torn off, and instead concentrate on the real, most important, most cliché thing in this whole shitty situation; family.

"_**I know pup. But one pup does not a pack make. You are the last of us Whisper-Swift-Scout, and you may have to hide amongst the humans to keep safe."**_

"_**I don't understand Mama."**_

The pup cocked his head in curiosity, but his eyes were furrowed, and I could see his little chest splutter as he tried to take in the smog filled air. My wolf's eyes were hazed, and I could tell that she was losing her life.

I had never thought about where our wolves spirits came from, whether they came from actual wolves (which is what I assumed) or whether they were just.. _created. _It wasn't exactly something you could google.. and I never wanted to invade on my wolf's privacy…

"_**I know you don't pup. Sometimes we can't understand things. But you will, in time. Now go, my pup. Run far, far away from here. Walk in the human's skin if you have to. But do not return for many years. Grow old, have your own pups, find your heart-bond."**_

"_**But come on Mama. We can go together."**_

He tugged at the scruff of her neck, trying to get her to move, but she simply sighed, and shook her head slowly, with few movements. The pup didn't try to leave, instead continuing to try and move her with his little strength alone. The scene was horrific, for lack of a better word, because even ignoring all of the bodies strewn across the field, the blood soaking the pup- his _mother's blood- _was a horrible sight to see.

My wolf closed her eyes, her chest stilling, as the ash around them both gathered around the pup, obscuring him from out view. The scene cut off not longer after that, obviously when, if this was a memory, was when my wolf died. And the pup's last words chilled me to my bones, even more so then the fact that'd I'd just witnessed my wolf.. back when she was a wolf and not a spirit… _die_.

"_**I will remember you, Papa, my kin, our pack. I will do as Mama said. But never shall I trust a human or let them near me, for I have seen what they can do, and their vengeance, and they are killers, without care."**_

* * *

Author's Note

This is late. Really super late. So late, that it's literally an hour and five minutes until midnight. And my only excuse is that I got in from school at 3:40, left to go food shopping at 4:20, came back at 7, studied until 10:20, and then started to format this chapter.

Which takes a long-ass time when Fanfiction decides to format everything into HTML code for some reason. I have no clue why it does that, and I could fix the issue by typing the chapter directly onto a document, but I like to use LibreOffice first so I can get an estimate of word count and the like.

Also, I managed to wrangle in a Bella's POV, of which there will be one more before we return to Jacob's. Or at the very least, present time. I thought it was a good way for Bella and her wolf to bond, while Bella gets checked over by Carlisle (or, if you want to think out of universe terms, saves me from bullshitting a lot of medical stuff)

After reading all of your reviews, I realise that a lot of you want Edward to suffer more.

Disclaimer- He will. Trust me, _I'm nowhere near done with him._ I just need him as a plot device, but after that immunity finishes up? *grins sardonically.*

Now, I'm going to do something different this week. Instead of me asking you all a question for the week, let's do something different. You all can ask me a question- provided it isn't something like 'what's your address'. I reserve the right to not answer a question if I feel like I might get stalked or, it's too personal (but I'm pretty open so it would have to be _pretty _invasive), and I'll answer in the next Author's Note.

I look forward to seeing your questions, and I'll see you all next week! (Or, be amused if this goes downhill, and I have no questions to answer so I make up my own)

~A very tired and stressed Bookworm who has two tests next week.


	23. Chapter 23 - Legends Never Die

Legends never die  
When the world is calling you  
Can you hear them screaming out your name?  
Legends never die  
They become a part of you  
Every time you bleed for reaching greatness  
Relentless you survive

They never lose hope when everything's cold  
And the fighting's near  
It's deep in their bones they'll run into smoke  
When the fire is fierce  
Oh, pick yourself up, 'cause  
Legends never die

Legends Never Die, by Against the Current, from the album Legends Never Die, released in 2017

* * *

Y'know, it's quite hard to judge the passage of time when your unconscious. Even more so, when you end up sitting, watching your wolf's memories like it's a film at the cinema. It could've been days, hours, minutes, I don't know. It could've been mere seconds for all I knew. The fact that what little outside input we had muted while we were watching her memories, and well, there was hardly any tells.

I'd comforted her for as long as I could, but I'd never had much experience with death, outside of well, Edward, and comforting Jake after his Mom died. Even then, my tactic had been as simple as mourn with him, hug him, and distract him. Of course, I could do all of them now, but I didn't want to invade her privacy any further then I'd been forced to. Apparently, watching her memory and causing her to have an emotional outburst wasn't enough, because also _apparently, _it was my turn.

Running my hands through her coarse fur, that was somehow silky smooth at the same time, our surroundings blurred once again. Around us, there was a navy blue carpeted floor, but not the shaggy kind, there was a sofa in the corner, with a TV directly adjacent to it. The walls were neatly wallpapered, with abstract swirls of colour every so often. This room was familiar to me, and the two figures sitting cross legged on the carpet was even more so.

Little sweet innocent Bella sat there, with a navy blue pinafore with a flower on the pocket that I remembered all too well. Renee had forced me into that abomination of a piece of fabric, when I'd have much rather have been wearing scruffy jeans and a loose shirt. But no, '_Little girls have to look pretty, and you're a little girl aren't you?'._ Can you tell I'm just a little resentful of her for that? Little Jacob was in his dungarees, blue, with a carefully stitched patch in the knee.

Despite the age gap, we were pretty close, even if the boundary was evident with the language and things similar. At that age, we were always being rough one another, that kind of play fighting that was common with siblings. And at that age, we might as well have been. Perhaps even at that age the would-be Imprint had an effect on us, drawing us together. Between the two of us, there were a series of lego bricks, and Jacob was smashing a particularly bright red and blue block together.

"Bewa, When is Mommy and Daddy coming back?"

Little me, two years Jacob's senior, shrugged, with gangly limbs reaching out and almost tapping him upside the head. She was invested in a little house that she'd been building, yellow bricked and red thatched, with a little lego figure waving it's cusped hand in greeting. She smoothed out the skirt on the pinafore, sticking her tongue out in disgust before turning to look at Jacob with brown gazed eyes.

"I don't know Jacob! I'm sure our Mommy's and Daddy's will be back soon."

The ever knowledgeable seven year old me reassured Jacob to the best of her ability. Which, funnily enough, wasn't an ability I had, at all. The thing is, upon reflection, I had a sinking feeling that day. Momm- Mom, had stepped out the room at the time of this scene, to take a phone call. It was unusual, because she had tended to answer it in front of the two of us.

As kids, we didn't particularly care for phone calls after all. Didn't understand the significance, nor did we care. At that age, we just cared for our family and our toys, and things similar. We continued on, playing together with the lego bricks, and babbling in barely cohesive English. But hey, from what little I can recall from that age, we seemed to understand one another well enough, and our respective families let it be. Again… that could've been the Imprint.. if it were even a proper thing back then.

Wolves were genetic, in my case, _not, _and I knew that the phasing was to do with exposure to vampires. But what if that wasn't true? What if it came across by something different? Renee stepped back into the room, small tears running down her face as she walked towards the two of us, and crouched down, teetering carefully on her shoes.

As if I was psychic- which no, wasn't a secret ability of mine- baby Bella turned to face Renee, her head turning ever so slightly, as she looked in question at her face.

"Mommy? What's wrong?"

Her hands were running through Baby Me's hair, fingers intertwining with various strands as she twisted it and tangled it. I knew better then most that it would end up being severely knotted the day after. Renee paused for a minute, before resuming her actions, with hardly a murmur in between.

The awkwardness of the whole situation ended up catching even naive little Jacob, who was just past the sucking my thumb age, and leaning towards the inquisitive, climb everywhere stage, turned to face Renee, his own eyes shining curiously.

"We just need to wait for Charlie sweetheart."

Her breath hitched halfway through the sentence, and that should've been the first notice that something wasn't right. Still, more absorbed in our little game of lego houses, we took it at her word, turning away to instead build another house to add to our little cul-de-sac. We'd make a whole village if we had enough bricks, but while we had a lot, we didn't have that many.

_What is this 'legos?' What do you mean you should have caught on sooner?'_

I turned to face my wolf, who had since sat back up into a sitting movement, and was looking at me, with a sense of unease and curiosity. I sighed, as I rubbed my right hand through her fur, my left rubbing underneath my eyelids. Was it possible to be tired while being unconscious? Apparently so.

_So the lady behind us- me and little Jacob- is my Mom. Renee. A little eccentric and keen on the idea of me being a girly girl. She.. doesn't know about wolves yet, as you might've picked up, and I'm not planning to tell her. The two little kids are me and Jake. This memory.. is from the day where his Mom and Dad were in an accident. His Mom died.. but his Dad survived, which is why he's paralysed now. Jake was supposed to be in the car that day, but he ended up staying with us after having a tantrum._

My wolf nodded her head, a soft croon emerging in her voice. I continued rubbing my right hand through her fur, as the scene seemed to skip time a little, the soft blues of the sky in the window becoming a dusky black. Renee had since moved to settle down on the sofa, settling back and watching us with an odd sense of disbelief. Charlie appeared out of nowhere, his cap nestled down over his eyes, shrouding them from us.

His whole form was slumped, defeated, as he blinked heavily, slowly. Renee moved to his side, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek. In a peculiar way, it was nice to see them so close together, acting like my Mom and Dad, and not arguing- the only way I can really remember them acting. Charlie moved towards us, kneeling down with his cap in his hand, in that stereotypical policeman pose.

"Jake, son, I've.. got something to tell you."

"What is it Unkle Charlie?"

I suppressed a smile. That was back when he couldn't pronounce his 'cul' sound, so it sounded more like 'Kuhl'. So very similar, but not the same. Little me seemed to realise that something wasn't quite right, because she shuffled closer to Jacob, almost forcing Charlie away from his crouched position.

Charlie looked deep in thought, his eyes watering, as he took a breath in. I didn't blame him- how were you supposed to explain to a five year old that his Mom wasn't coming home, despite being well the last time he saw her?

"So, you know how your Mommy and Daddy went out? And how you didn't want to go, so we looked after you?"

"And I played with Bewa!"

Jacob took until he was six to realise that two "l's" do not equal the 'w' sound. Sometimes if we reminisced, I would tease him about that, in fondness. He knows I meant well. Although we had less and less time reminiscing.. between pack duties and everything else going on.. well, we didn't get as much time as we would have liked.

I know that we had responsibilities to the pack, and it had never bothered me once before, but after all of what's happened.. I yearned for even a small vacation. Or a date night. But the thing is, I felt so selfish for even thinking the thought. A small smile flickered across Charlie's face, before it disappeared just as quickly.

"Yeah. You did. Well, you know when people get sick, and they go to the hospital?"

Jacob's little head bobbed up and down, his hair going wild much like it did nowadays. The similarities between Jacob and young Jacob helped me feel nostalgic, and all the more grateful for what I had now, even though I hadn't lost anything that day. Or I did.. an Auntie, but not to the same extent as Jacob. I don't think it's even possible to even interpret grief at that age.

"Hospwital?"

"Yeah Jakey. Remember when I broke my arm when I fell down the stairs? That's where I went to get my arm fixed, and look!"

Little Bella rotated her arm in demonstration, a toothy grin emerging on her face. Ugh. I feel like I'm narrating in third person. It's weird because it's me, but if I use 'I' then you have no idea if I'm referring to myself or the girl in the memory. Okay Bella, no more narrating or monologuing.

On little Bella's face, the toothy smile was wiped clean as she turned to face Charlie and Renee once again. I may be clumsy, and several other things, but I was quick on the uptake, even back then. Although, not when it came to creepy Vampires apparently. Funny, you'd think that would be the one that would get my attention on the old warning bells.

"Who's hurt?"

The flinch of pain on Charlie's face was visible to even me. I could practically feel it, and yet again I found myself wondering how I'd missed it back then. Charlie was known for many things, but subtlety wasn't one of them. Nor was he known for cooking. There was a reason I learned to cook from a young age, and it was because I wasn't exactly _keen _on food poisoning.

Renee hushed me, and moved to grab my arm, trying to pull me away, but as Jacob stood up on wobbly legs, I tugged back, going backwards and almost overbalancing. Despite the height difference, he managed to prop little Bella up a bit, and she caught her own balance from there. I'd had enough rug burns to learn it hurt like a bugger when they happened. She channelled her inner stubbornness that I got from Charlie, she straight up refused to move.

"Jake, your Mommy and Daddy were in an accident."

Charlie received a swift kick- gentle, more like a nudge then anything- in the ribs from Renee from that, as he bit his lip in a very 'me' action. She'd probably done that because she couldn't elbow him from where she was standing. Jacob turned his head, a smile still on his face.

The truth hadn't hit him.. and it didn't until a good few months after the funeral. The reason I knew that was because I was there.. it was before we left for Phoenix, and before I was left to be away from Jacob.

"So when will they be home?"

"We're going to see your Dad at the hospital. Your Mom.. she's going to be away for a while."

Jacob accepted that without much question. Little Bella turned to look at him with an analytical glance, before she turned back to Jacob, grasping his hand and guiding him towards the door.

"Come on Jake- we'll get ready and go see your Mommy."

* * *

Our surroundings faded to black once again, and I went on to try and relax. I was getting sick of being unconscious, y'know. Was it because I was such an awful; terrible; lacklustre?.. wolf that I ended up being unconscious at least once a month? The drive I had before about defending myself was only enhanced tenfold, because I didn't want to be taken unawares again.

I didn't want to be kidnapped and hurt, and _chained up, _without being able to stop it in any way or form. An urge to protect myself, protect those I loved, and protect _my pack _to the best of my ability. My wolf stood up abruptly, her fur spiking on edge like electricity coursed through it, and approached me, her ears perked and her eyes narrowed. She bowed her head, before looking back up at me.

_Alpha. You are ready to take the mantle of Alpha Female- and your Mate is ready to take his title of Alpha Male. You will lead the Pack through tough times, good or bad, and through your united bond, you will prosper together. That is the job of the Alpha Wolf._

When she said that, my inner part of me was telling me that I was probably going to wake up. It would be a cliché kind of thing wouldn't it, to wake after a rousing speech like that. But I thought Jake had no intention to take the role of Alpha? Rather then waking up, our surroundings blurred once more, as similar trees and mantles of rocks emerged.

The surrounding plant life seemed much younger, the grass greener, and there was no plumes of smoke. A much younger Russet (the wolf, remember him?) was in an aggressive position, fur up on end, ears in the back, and narrowed his eyes. Claws dug deep into the ground, and his tail was high, no sign of submission anywhere. He was standing up against a sandy coloured wolf, fur so light that it was, well, the colour of literal sand.

"_**I challenge you for the right of Alpha!"**_

Russet snarled viciously, upper fangs showing from out-width his lip. The other wolf dropped into his own stance, hackles raised and tail raised. He was trying to puff himself up so he looked more intimidating. A deep guttural roar emerged from the unnamed wolf, but along his pelt there was a multitude of scars, zigzagging across his body like stripes on a tiger.

Perhaps the two predators were just as vicious as one another. To compare, Russet had only a few, but patches of his fur seemed a different colour to the rest. Had it regrown recently?

"_**So be it! This will be a duel to the death- the victor shall become Alpha, without any question of authority from the pack!"**_

With that, he kicked off from the ground, and the two wolves lunged at one another, the surrounding pack forming a circle. It reminded me of those stereotypical school-yard fights, where everyone would form a circle around the two fighters. The older, more experienced Alpha got in a good bite on Russet's scruff, throwing him to the side like a rag doll. But what he had in experience, Russet had in youth.

He landed on all fours, before charging back towards the Alpha, his head down like he was prepared to headbutt him. A vicious, absolutely _demented _roar emerged from Russet as he skidded to a stop, biting into his flank like a crazed dog. This time, the Alpha hissed, whipping his head around to bite the nippy little wolf, but missed, Russet ending up behind him.

As they charged towards one another in a bloody fight, I couldn't help but wonder why Russet was fighting for Alpha, so to speak.

_He was not a good Alpha. He hurt Pack- not to punish, but for fun. None of us were strong enough to fight for the claim to Alpha: I had tried, but was beaten mercilessly, and made Omega of the Pack as a result._

I could assume from the way she sounded, angered and yet somehow disheartened, that the title was not a good one. I had done some research on wild wolf packs.. and I knew exactly what happened to the poor Omegas. It also made me look at my wolf, who looked away, more timid then she'd ever been before. She obviously didn't like the memory.

_Curved-Loyal-Tree went away to train. To this day, I do not know where he went. He simply refused to tell me. He left the pack, branded a traitor, and re-emerged, challenging the current Alpha._

Turning my attention back to the ensuing fight, I watched with enrapturing attention as the current Alpha clawed at Russet's fur, a large wave of blood going flying at the impact, and landed with a wet slap on the grass, tinged with red. A yelp emerged from Russet's throat, but instead of pulling away, he slammed into the Alpha's side. Despite the difference in size, he managed to off balance him enough to be able to bite his paw, and clench down on it, _hard_.

The _screech _that emerged from the Alpha was overruled by the sickening _crack _of bone, as he threw his head to the side, the paw most definitely broken. He stepped delicately back, avoiding a crazed, blinded strike, before lunging in with a sideswipe, forcing him onto the backs of his paws. For all of Russet's efforts, the Alpha managed to grab a hold of his jugular, and my breath caught in my throat.

If a wolf could smirk, the Alpha did, as his teeth sank deeply into the throat of Russet. Russet twitched in pain, howling, as the Alpha sunk his teeth deeper, and eventually, the wolf went limp. But, there was something odd. From my research, I had learned that as a last minute resort, a wolf's body would go limp when in a fight.

It was an instinctive thing, meant to try and save the wolf when they were unconscious. But, Russet _didn't. _I swallowed harshly, as he dug his teeth deeper and deeper, but I caught my breath when I saw Russet move. The Alpha wolf was beginning to regain his stance from his knelt down position, but Russet suddenly dropped harder then a rock, causing the Alpha to be dragged downwards as his whole body weight was forced downwards.

Russet's jaw opened wide, and snapped shut like a crocodile around his muzzle, several dagger like fangs digging into the flesh. Russet threw him so he landed on his ribs in a show of supernatural strength, before pouncing on him, his own jaws going around the Alpha's jugular.

I looked away, averting my eyes, as I heard a distinct gush of blood and a tearing sound, as I instinctively knew that the wolf was no more. As I turned my head back towards Russet, ignoring the very not nice body of the former Alpha, I saw all the other wolves circling around him, before bowing, in a yet again Lion King-esque situation. With that image in my head, the surroundings blurred to a white, as my wolf moved in front of me, washing her face with a paw.

_That day, he became our Alpha, and kept the position until.. what you saw happened. We were happy. I had my magic, but he had his own power, much more subtle then my own. He had the power to sense whether a decision would turn out in his favour. But, there were flaws. He could not tell the future, not in the sense the Vampire could, and he had no idea whether it would turn out in his favour now, or hundreds of years in the future._

That was surprising. I didn't know if Jacob had that ability or not.. I'd love to find out. Especially since an ability like that would come in handy. It reminded me of a certain decision that I wasn't happy with though..

_It's likely that he will have at least a form of it, because he holds __my Mate's soul. This is why you have the shield ability- that was my primary ability._

I had that power long before I became a wolf though. My wolf had a small smile on her face, as she butted her head against my leg, the bright white light increasing in intensity.

_We were always meant to be one. Whether what Leech did or not, we would always come together. It is your birthright, no matter how distant the hold may be. The Vampire only fastened the process._

With that bit of information, she walked _into _me, and the immediate surroundings started to spin, and I felt like I was falling through a giant hole, one that was never ending. With a small pressure building on my head, and the fresh air like someone breathing for the first time, I jolted awake, greeted by pain and several sets of worried eyes, most of all being Jacob.

I blinked my eyes rapidly, huffing, before moving to go to Jacob, only to be stopped by several hands and a burst of pain. Huh. Who'd of guessed that my time unconscious _didn't _miraculously heal me. Go figure.

* * *

Author's Note

So hello all! How are you all today? I'm significantly better then before, my tests are out of the way, and while I don't have my results back yet, I think I did okay, all things to be considered.

And I've gotten back into an TV show I used to watch, called Grimm. You might know it, you might not. The point being I love it. I started, on Saturday, from Season 1, and at the time of writing, am on Season 2, episode 19.

Now, onto the questions I received! I'll add a few more on for the fun of it.

* * *

**Q1. From Windwoman:** What is your major?

This is a difficult question to answer. Technically, I'm not doing a major, because I'm not in University or College. I'm still in Secondary school.

The subjects I _did _take however, all at a 'Higher' level (basically the step above GSCE for England, but I'm not sure what the American equivalent is) are: Computing Science, Chemistry, English, Maths, and Business Management.

Now, I can answer what I want to take. I think we call a major a degree here? I'm not too sure, Scotland is pretty different to the USA. Anyway, I want to take a degree in Computing Science, and hopefully go on to get a job in IT, like a software programmer.

I hope this answers your question!

**Q2. From Catgrl:** Do you plan to write another Twilight story after you finish this one?

That's a very good question. Honestly? I'm not sure. I have an idea about a crossover fic that I'm planning out, but I'm not sure whether I will go ahead with it or not. But I definitely wouldn't argue no.

I have another Twilight story written, my second for the fandom. But it's so much alike to this story that I doubt I'll ever publish it. But I love Twilight as a fandom, so while I probably won't write one for the fandom for my next story, I will definitely revisit it some time!

* * *

**Q1 of Cait's Commonly Wondered Questions that aren't commonly wondered at all: **Where are you from?

Scotland. I won't specify where, but basically that's why I'm so unknowledgeable about American culture.

**Q2 of Cait's Commonly Wondered Questions that aren't commonly wondered at all: **Favourite Sport?

Football. British Football, au foot, soccer, fútbol, Fußball, etc etc.

**Q3 of Cait's Commonly Wondered Questions that aren't commonly wondered at all: **Why do I like Twilight? Book or Film?

It's sort of like a fantasy book, despite not being an actual fantasy novel. I love that kind of thing, and the aspect of magical creatures, good or bad, is an intriguing one to me. Hence, I like it.

Also Book. Every goddamn time. Movies are okay but... book. *Shrugs*. That's all I have to say.

**Q4, the final question of Cait's Commonly Wondered Questions that aren't commonly wondered at all: **What is my full first name, what does it mean, and where does it come from?

Caitlin. Cait is just what my family call me, and since I'm a bookworm, well, the name speaks for itself.

It means 'Pure' in Irish, but my family is from England, so the name itself is English, especially that spelling.

* * *

Right, with that done, I'll ask my question of the week, and then skedaddle. I do love that word. Anyway: The question is, and it's quite a boring one I'm afraid, but what is everyone's favourite fairy tale? Whether it's in native English or not, I'd love to hear it.

_Brüderchen und Schwesterchen _is my one. Well, technically, the one I read was the English translation, and is called Brother and Sister, originally by the Grimm Brother's, who wrote it in German, hence why the title I put was in German. But since the only German I can say is '_Sie Sprechen Deutsch?', _I know it by the English translation.

Anyhow, I've got to go now. Got stories to write, school stuff to prepare, and that's about it.

See you next time, and have a great week!

~Cait


	24. Chapter 24 - Here Comes The Sun

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces  
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here  
Here comes the sun  
Here comes the sun, and I say  
It's all right

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting  
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear  
Here comes the sun  
Here comes the sun, and I say  
It's all right

Here Comes the Sun, by The Beatles, from the album Abbey Road, released in 1969

* * *

Jacob's POV

Slowly but surely, our bond knitted together, like it had never been strained in the first place. Bella was now resting at her house, the familiar surroundings hoping to be reassuring to her when she woke up. Doctor Leech had stuck to his word, the rest of his family were moving away, with only the Doctor Leech staying here to monitor Bella.

When I say here, I meant at his home, not in our house. I would _never _let any of _that _Coven stay here, not after what they had done. Bella looked peculiar lying on the bed, a wolf that wasn't actively trying to maul anybody, laying on something that humans used. Pitiful whines emerged from her throat every so often, the sound causing me to flinch for every second it was uttered. I ran my hand gently down the back of her head, her ears twitching with a response.

I always took a deep breath before doing it, because I was so, _so, _terrified of causing her further harm. Do you want to know how many bones she had broken? Twenty-_fucking-_five, including but not limited to, her ribs, right paw, left paw, hip, tail, and those were just the ones I'd kept my temper about. I had stormed out of the room as the list kept incrementing, and tore apart a few trees.

It made me regret ever _considering _letting that family go. They did so much _shit _to her, broke her physically and mentally, and _I just let them walk away. _What kind of an Imprint was I?! I was startled out of my self-depreciative and angered thoughts by the oddest twitch of Bella's forepaw, one of the few that had made it out of _the Incident, _in one piece. She shifted as I stared at her in disbelief, before she tried to lift herself up, with her back arching ever so slightly.

While no noise escaped her, a pain filled haze fleeted across her brown eyes, like a deer running from a wolf. I moved to stop her, gently placing my hands on her body to push her down, as Sue came beside me and did the safe.

"Easy Bella."

Charlie was the next to come in, slightly out of breath, but otherwise none the worse for wear. He looked a bit bedraggled, and he had a smudge of red on his face. Sue had made lasagne for supper, which Charlie looked like he was in the middle of when he'd come up.

Rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand, he came up next to me, stilling slightly, before scrunching his eyes shut briefly, flicking them back open just as fast. He still hadn't gotten used to the fact that this was Bella.. but at the very least he wasn't in a psychiatric hospital. When Charlie had found out that I'd made the decision to let the Leeches leave, he had been _pissed _at me.

There had been plenty of yelling, and honestly, I didn't blame Charlie. He'd been under a lot of stress with what had happened.. Bella giving herself up to save him, and honestly, I regretted the decision. But I had to hold myself to my word.. and at least some positives could be made from this, right?

Despite us being on rocky ground, and being new to the whole 'your daughter is a wolf thing and your essential son-in-law is also one, and is bonded to your daughter', he hadn't tried to shoot anyone. Like me, he ran his hands loosely through her fur, sighing in displeasure. She growled lowly, huffing, before barking, flinching ever so slightly.

She huffed again, no doubt annoyed at the fact that she couldn't communicate unless she phased back, which she definitely couldn't do until all her wounds had healed, her bones realigning. Bella seemed to give up on any attempt at escape, because she rested her muzzle back on the pillow.

"Once you're healed, we will be having a talk about this Missy."

He gestured at her wolf, then at me, and then at anything in the general vicinity. Sue excused herself to phone _Leech, _as I blinked myself out of my stupor, continuing to run my fingers through her fur. There was a brief nudging at the back of my mind, reminiscent of the pack mind but distinctly not, yet it was still familiar.

Concentrating hard, looking at Bella, the faint wisp and whisper of words floated around my head, taunting me. Grabbing onto it gently, I focused on it, the words joining into sentences, and becoming loud and understandable.

_How is Charlie?_

It had the undercurrents of Bella's voice in it, and as I turned to her, she inclined her head ever so slightly, leaning against the pillow. Turning towards Charlie, I acted as translator, because it was clear as day how important Bella's bond with her father was. Itching my eye, I stifled a yawn before actually translating.

"She's asking after you."

"How do- you know what, never mind. Just a freaky wolf thing. I'm good Bells. Cullen didn't touch me. You?.. other then the whole… trapped thing."

He gesticulated wildly with his arms, before reigning in his flailing limbs a little. Sue made her re-entrance into the room, followed by Sam and then my Dad. He muttered something in Quiluette, directing his eyes downwards, before returning his eyesight to the group of us. Bella's pale pink tongue hung out of her muzzle, her nose snuffling ever so slightly, before her eyes focused on all of us. Her next words were heavy and weighted and _tired, _but I dutifully translated them all the same.

_I'm.. well, okay would be a lie, but I don't want Charlie to know how bad I'm hurting._

Her brown eyes flickered to my own, silently pleading over just a quick glance. Clenching my knuckle was an attempt to reign in my anger that was flooding through me like blood through my veins, but it didn't do much to stifle it.

"She's.. not well, but not bad. She's hurt but.. is glad to be free."

Judging by a hardened glint in Charlie's eye, I could tell that if he could have, Cullen would be very dead by now, turned to ash by his glare alone. Bella's gratitude was evident, even if my choice of words were perhaps not the best. The conversation hung limply, before we were interrupted by the sound of the door bell going. Dad went to go get it, and almost immediately there was a noticeable change in scents. Liquid bleach went up my nostrils, burning the passageways as acrid sugar soon joined it.

Judging by Bella's own ill-hidden flinch, her sense of smell wasn't one of the things impacted by her experience. It was easy to hear Dad's barely restrained civility, his voice sour and taut, as Leech spoke with that 'velvet-like' voice, as Bella put it. Walking at a human pace, his footsteps audible, he peaked through the door, wearing what looked to be a doctor's uniform.

Figures. Rubbing at my nose as if that could make the smell go away, we all watched the door, golden eyes appearing, followed by my Dad's normal coloured eyes. Leech bowed his head ever so slightly, eyes meeting everybody's for a brief second.

My wolf was screaming at me to be on edge, my hackles were raised, and despite being contained by my human skin, I could feel the edges of my fur standing up on edge, as the tremors going through my body threatened to quick-start my phase.

"I'm just going to check over Bella."

He murmured, in a tone that would have been soothing had he not been a Leech. Now it only served to further make myself on edge. We parted, creating a path for him to walk through, even as a growl budded deep in my throat, and from the looks of it, Sam was in much of the same position.

Bella was oddly quiet, and as I subconsciously moved to where Bella's head rested, my hand resting on her bed, my nails almost claws. Slowly telegraphing his moves, he appeared next to Bella's side, his hands stilling next to his sides.

"I'm just going to look at your hip."

He put on some gloves that were probably more for show then anything, and he went to gently touch her hip. Before he could actually make any contact with her, she yelped, trying to flinch away, rolling over on the bed and almost falling off, if not for me grabbing her. I gently ran my hands down her neck, but almost got my fingers nipped off as she lurched and tried to snap at me. I managed to tear them away before her jaws found purchase.

Her eyes seemed to glaze over, legs kicking out in self defence. Leech stepped away, as I dipped into my own mind, trying to get to hers. But it was shielded tighter then Fort Knox. Words in both Quiluette and English did nothing to sooth her, about as useful as it would be to tie all my limbs together. I didn't dare make contact with her, and she didn't look like she was about to stop flailing any time soon.

The scent of Shadow flooded the room as he stormed through, bursting open the door with such ferocity unusual of him. His head, I would bet, would probably a bit sore, or at the very least, his side, considering he'd slammed through several wooden doors.

There was no sign of his usual hesitance around humans, and normally he just kept himself to himself, living out in the woods. It was odd that he'd come in here: and I couldn't understand why he did, but, resisting the urge to snap, I sat and watched, in pain from watching my Imprint suffer even more.

He jumped up on his hind legs, his front paws resting gently on the pillow. I quickly closed my eyes and tried to immerse myself in the pack mind. It wasn't easy, given I was in human form, and hell, I wasn't even sure if I _could _access it. It was like searching for something that you knew was there, but very, very, well hidden. Still, I narrowed my eyes, and sensing something that felt like a closed door, I pulled it open.

Several thoughts trickled in like water from a faucet, and as I kept it open, I could feel a headache coming on. Tuning them out, I snaked towards what I thought was Shadow's mind, and I could feel it slowly intertwine with Bella's, with an ease that I would love to have. I listened in to what Shadow was whispering, as Bella continued her symphony of growls and whine. She was obviously terrified, and with good reason.

Tuning into what Shadow was saying, quiet and commanding words in another language, I couldn't help but watch as Bella calmed down, no longer thrashing.

"_**Dum spiro, spero. Dum vita est, spes est. Qui dormit non peccat et Quod nocet, saepe doce. Amor est in aeternum, sed proditione est cruciataque." **_

("While I breathe, I hope. While there is life, there is hope. He who sleeps does not sin, and that which harms, often teaches. Love is forever, but betrayal is anguished")

Unfortunately, being able to understand many languages was not one of our gifts. And I didn't know any one who could speak whatever the hell that was. Hesitantly, I reached towards Bella, who's sad brown eyes looked at my own, as her ears folded downwards. She seemed very remorseful about nearly biting me, and I was reminded back when Edward had mauled her, and she was so.. timid.

Bella was strong and determined at the best of times, but even the strongest material can break. Leech moved forwards once again, but this time he remained in Bella's eyesight. Backing out of the pack mind, I instead traipsed along our bond, slowly reforming in front of my eyes.

_I know it is hard. I know you have a lot of well-earned anger, especially towards Leeches. And trust me, if there was any other option, they would not be __**anywhere **__near you. But we can't take you to the hospital without revealing our secret, and the Leech is the only one who can take care of injuries as severe as yours._

I could almost hear a mental growl, despite the lack of a real one present in her closed throat. Leech was keeping his hands by his sides, waiting for the go ahead from one of us before proceeding. We all knew that if he put one foot out of place, his foot would no longer be attached to his body. And his feet would no longer be feet, but ash.

When Bella spoke- or whatever you wanted to classify it as- there was a dangerous undertone that I'd never heard before. She was bristling, angry, and I could tell she wanted to chew me out for something. That wasn't a conversation I was looking forward towards, but it was one that was going to happen. I was hoping at the very least she would let me explain myself before she leapt at my throat.

_The things the Leech did to me- he did not hurt me in perhaps the worst way, and I will forever be grateful for that- hurt me physically and mentally. The days of me being submissive to his actions are over, and I want him to get his due punishment. But that won't happen, will it, Jacob? No matter, that conversation is for another time. I think it is understandable that I flinch whenever a Leech comes near me, after what I've been through due to one._

I was tore in two. One part of me, the prideful Jacob Alpha part, wanted to put her into her place for even daring to talk to me like that. I fought to suppress that with all of my might, because that kind of attitude wouldn't get us anywhere, other then me being in the literal doghouse. Plus, it was a very much, _not okay, _thing to do in any relationship, even if we were wolves. Trust me, it was definitely not okay.

The other part of me, the more human part, wanted to hide away from her, because after whatever had happened to her? She was a scary god damn person to mess with. My wolf was purring inside of me, seemingly happy about something in this scenario that I wasn't privy too. She huffed, a growl echoing her thoughts, as her body shifted, so that she was angled towards facing Leech, her eyes piercing through his entire body. Any feelings she had towards them had seemingly vaporised, and honestly, I couldn't blame her.

_He can do it. I will restrain myself. But __**this **__conversation is not over._

With that angered word, her mind cut off from me. I could still sense our bond, but her thoughts were cut off from me once more. Sighing, and gently rubbing my thumb on her ear, I nodded towards Doctor Leech, and he proceeded on. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife fifteen times over, as we watched with bated breath, our fingers either tensing on various weapons or preparing to phase. We wouldn't let it happen a second time.

Bella had been.. distant throughout Leech checking her over. I didn't mean in terms of verbally, or even physically, but more of the mental variety. Her mind was shut off, her eyes were shut, and her breaths slowed, to the extent where I could hardly see her chest rise and fall. Leech had been quick, saying everything had been healing correctly, she couldn't phase back for at least three weeks, and that there wasn't much he could do in terms of medicine.

He couldn't risk overdosing her on medicine or whatever, and there wasn't any stronger stuff that wouldn't have side effects. With the examination finished, he excused himself, leaving a small sticky note, before nodding his head slightly.

"I'll be going now."

He turned to Bella, her eyes still scrunched shut, her body still largely casted. His slightly darkened amber eyes looked upon Bella, before sighing, and without any human pretences, disappeared in a blur. Picking up the note, I clenched it tightly in my hand, before shoving it in my jean pocket, to be disposed of later.

Bella opened her eyes, but there was something else lingering in them for a brief second- a flash of gold. But as soon as I blinked, and refocused my attention on her eyes, there was nothing there, just her normal chocolate orbs. Nobody else seemed to notice, because not one of them mentioned in it. Bella yawned, her tongue waving up and down as he did so, her teeth shining ever so quickly.

"You hungry Bells?"

Bella blinked once more, before turning her head. I could feel the warm blanket of a shield she has wrapping around me, selective thoughts of hers slowly marching through my head. Some of her tell-tale humour seemed to have return, and the angry undertone of her voice that had disappeared. But still, the emphasis she put on the 'this' only served to reassure me that we would be having a conversation, and that it likely wouldn't be a pretty one.

_As long as it isn't him cooking. I don't mind._

With a small smile on my face, I relayed the words back to Charlie, who seemed to have quirked a smile in response.

"Sue's cooked Bells. Lasagne. You want some of that?"

She looked as if she was thinking about it, before shaking her head. She didn't say any words, but gave him a quick stare, as if to say 'think about what I am right now.' It took him a second, before he chuckled, rubbing his hands together. Something had most definitely happened with Bella, because between the amber flash of her eyes and the new.. less walkover-y attitude, her personality seemed to have at least partially changed.

"Oh yeah.. no hands.. uhhh… a sandwich?"

This time she nodded, so Charlie quickly left, a stride in his step. The door shut with a click, as I sighed, before moving towards the cupboard, and closing myself inside it. It would be easier to talk wolf to wolf.. I completely undressed, before allowing myself to phase, being forced onto the ground quickly, as my tail grew and my spine adjusted.

Without much fanfare, I was phased, with Bella's shield still wrapped around me. From what I could tell, we were alone, the only remaining others having left. Feeling like a puppy about to be scolded for chewing on the furniture. I sat down in Bella's sight, watching her as took a breath in, and then exhaled another.

"_**We have a lot to talk about."**_

* * *

Author's Note

Hi!

How are you all? I hope you are all doing well!

The bit of Latin may seem random, but I promise it has to do with Shadow's past.

Also, I've got a friend waiting for me, so I've got to type this quickly. With this chapter, I hope I've managed to highlight how Bella _is not _going to be steamrolled over: and the change in her character.

Right, question of the week: If you could make one thing that is fictional real, what would it be?

I'd probably say either Stark Industries, the EDITH Glasses, the Grimm Universe, minus all the murdering, or maybe even the Daemons, from Phillip Pullman's _His Dark Materials _trilogy. A series of great books, I highly recommend.

Stark Industries would be revolutionary, but also pretty cool to work for. The Glasses, I'd think, would be very much awesome to use, especially as a glasses wearer myself. The Grimm Universe- I'm a sucker for fantasy, and Daemons- it's like a pet, that is interconnected with your soul.

Right, I've got to go- But I'm going to enjoy my holiday tomorrow. And my friend's birthday party which is on Sunday.

See you all later, and thanks for reading!

~Cait


	25. Chapter 25 - One Step Closer

I cannot take this anymore  
I'm saying everything I've said before  
All these words they make no sense  
I find bliss in ignorance  
Less I hear the less you'll say  
But you'll find that out anyway  
Just like before 

Everything you say to me  
Takes me one step closer to the edge  
And I'm about to break  
I need a little room to breathe  
'Cause I'm one step closer to the edge  
And I'm about to break

One Step Closer, by Linkin Park, from the album Live In Texas, released in 2003

* * *

The scene was a peculiar one. Save for the two of us, the room was empty, no doubt making it look slightly confusing if someone came in. Despite the lack of verbal words, there was plenty of conversation going around. I sat down in the traditional dog pose- you know, hind legs back and flat against the floor, two fore paws straight and holding me up- my tail not quite tucked in.

The silence surrounding us was telling of the seriousness of the impending conversation: both of us were looking for words that wouldn't cause a large argument. Bella deserved answers, I knew that, but she also deserved vengeance, the one thing I took from her. I also had my own questions, mainly consisting around her personality change. It wasn't a bad thing per se.. I just wanted to know about it, and what caused it.

We were still waiting on the sandwich that Charlie was making her, craning out for his approach. We didn't want to get anybody else involved in this Imprint to Imprint conversation.

"_**My first question: What was the fight between you and Jared about?"**_

So she did know about that then. Blinking slowly, stretching out in an attempt to get comfortable, I opened my mind to her so she knew I was telling the truth. Truth be told, I _wasn't _proud of my fight with Jared. It got heated, I was stressed and scared for Bella, and in a moment of weakness, I let my instincts guide me too far.

I should have never assaulted him like that, regardless of his opinion to do with how I dealt with the Cullens. There was some truth to his words. Her eyes, bright and yet hard pierced my own, and I held her gaze as a spoke, trying to put weight into my own words.

"_**I let my emotions get the better of me, and fell prey to my instincts. Jared voiced his disagreement with my decision, and when he said that if he were you, he would be ashamed, I lost control, filled with anger and the urge to make him submit."**_

She nodded slowly, the action looking peculiar as she moved her head up and down the pillow. The conversation was already going better then I thought it would have- but then again, we hadn't gotten to the whole Edward topic, which was sure to cause a shouting match or three.

Bella closed her eyes slowly, sighing, before opening them back again. If I looked closely, I could see a glint of gold in her eyes, almost a reflection. Bella looked so much older then she actually was in that moment, weighed down by everything that had happened.

"_**And why did you lose control?"**_

I blinked at her in surprise. Did she hear what I said? I must have shown my surprise- or she sensed it- because she huffed and went on to explain. The Wolves' Official Dictionary everyone: things got across with a few huffs, puffs, whines, snarls, growls, pines, and croons. Who needs actual words? A small sign of amusement made itself present on Bella's face, before it hid once more.

"_**Did you lose control because you cared about me, or because you wanted to subjugate those below you?"**_

_What the fuck?! _No, I didn't want to make everyone subjugate to me- that's just fucking wrong. None of them were any less or more then me: aside from pack rank, we were all the same. That's why I never wanted to be Alpha until it was pushed onto me- I didn't want the power to make people do what I wanted, or to submit. I felt sick just thinking about it. And I was upset that Bella, someone who was my literal other had, could even _suggest _that.

"_**I couldn't- I could never do that to someone! I despise having that kind of power over someone!"**_

This time, I could feel belief pulsing through the bond. Flattening her ears, her pink tongue peeking out every so slightly, I was relieved when I realised that she did trust me.

"_**I know: and I'm glad."**_

It felt like I was in a test, only I wasn't sure what the test was on. All I knew is that it would likely have something to do with our future together. There was a brief lapse in conversation, before I decided to ask my own question, to break it up into question for me, question for you. It helped break the monotony, let me tell you.

"_**What is.. why.. is there a reason for your personality change?"**_

I flinched at my own wording. I didn't want it to come out as accusatory, but I didn't want to imply anything else either. The scent of meat floated up into the room, making my stomach rumble. I'd have something later.

"_**I.. saw some things while I was unconscious. My wolf's past. I don't want to be a pushover anymore, it's an injustice to her, me, and you. She says I'm ready to be Alpha female, but I sure as hell don't feel like it. I can't be walked over to be Alpha."**_

That explained a lot. I wanted to know what she saw.. but I knew not to push. It should be kept between wolf and human, and I shouldn't get involved with that. I could tell that Bella respected the privacy I was giving her. Charlie popped his head within the door, as I shuffled into a lying down position, looking up at him as he came in with a tower of sandwiches. And when I said tower, I meant that there were at least seven sandwiches in a stack.

Charlie placed them in front of Bella's head, before backing away to the door. He reached his hand down to my head, looking somewhat awkward as he ruffled my head. I leaned into it, nuzzling him, before he left, probably feeling perturbed. It was his son-in-law who was normally human, but he was stroking him like he was a dog after all. He'd get used to it eventually.. and understand that stroking us wasn't treating us like animals.

It was like the equivalent of a hug. Bella moved into a sitting position, looking like she was in pain the entire time. Once she was sat up in the bed, looking more bandage then wolf, she picked up a corner of the sandwich and threw it on the floor to me, causing me to tilt my head in confusion.

"_**I can't eat all of this. It's far too much. And I could hear your stomach rumbling. We can have a little break from talking for now."**_

I mean we hadn't been talking for very long.. Still, I knew when to pick my battles, and I bit the corner of it. What Bella had gone through.. she was keeping quiet about it. She made references yes, but never outright said anything. Even I knew it was a bad thing to do, to keep it bottled up. But I could hardly force her to say anything about it, could I?

And I wasn't sure how well a therapist could work, considering half of the things she had to experience would have to be edited. Well, I didn't know what he did, like I said, but I imagine 'werewolves' and 'vampires' wouldn't exactly come down as sane to any good therapist.

Swallowing the current bite, I took another, this time more slowly. Despite me eating as slowly as I humanly could, rather then rushing it down or just gulping it, I had still managed to finish the two- Bella threw me another down- before Bella had even eaten one.

It became fairly evident by then, even if the ribs weren't a give away, that she had indeed been starved. She pushed away the remains of the sandwich, a few bites being all of what was missing. It was her first proper meal since waking up.. and what little she had eaten was nowhere near enough to sustain a person, let alone a wolf with a ridiculously fast metabolism.

She must have caught me looking at her, or caught my thoughts, because she bared her teeth at me, her eyes narrowing, and her whole posture shifting into _'I'm pissed off, you come near me and a limb is coming off'. _I stepped back in surprise, carefully keeping my form neutral.

I was less concerned with being attacked, and more concerned she'd hurt herself trying to attack me. It took a minute or two, before she scrunched her eyes shut and shook her head, before opening them, this time her form being much relaxed.

"_**Just.. don't stare at me?… please Jake."**_

I nodded, as Bella shuffled again and moved her plate on the bedside cabinet, the china making a little click as it quivered against the wood. I stood up, slowly moving up over to her, as I stepped up onto the bed, rubbing my head against hers. She leaned against me, as I crooned deep in my throat. We sat like that for five minutes or so, the conversation long forgotten in favour of comfort: well, it was forgotten for the minute. We'd be coming back to it after.

* * *

"_**Wait so my wolf spirit what now?"**_

I couldn't help but stutter out, my head spinning. We'd strayed away from the topic Edward and my decision.. but that was the next topic of conversation. What she said.. it sounded mad, out there, impossible. And this was coming from someone whose entire job was to maul Vampires. Bella huffed, stretching out with a small flinch.

I swear that's her favourite noise or something. Still, I needed her to further explain it, because I was trying to decide whether she was bullshitting me, genuinely being honest, or just dreaming. It didn't _look _like she was winding me up.. but God only knows.

"_**So."**_

She began, like she was talking to a three year old. I wasn't very impressed, as I clicked my teeth together. It wasn't me being stupid! I just couldn't decipher whether she was winding me up or not. She chuffed, a smirk playing on her features. Jesus Christ, Bella didn't do personality changes half assed did she? Admittedly, I kinda like the personality change.. because I didn't have to worry about her being stepped on or taken advantage of by other people.

"_**My wolf said I was always destined to be a wolf. I don't know how."**_

I nodded slowly. That was simple. I didn't understand _how _she was destined to be a wolf, but I understood the statement. Bella progressed on with her tale for the second time, me paying attention avidly. Something told me I wouldn't like the consequences if I didn't pay attention.

"_**My wolf spirit was around as an actual wolf many, many centuries ago, predating the Vampires. She and your wolf were together in the same Pack- they were heart-bonded."**_

I knew what that term meant. In 'wolf-grammar 101', they believed in soul-mates, the one person who were the other half to their soul. That was what a 'heart-bonded' was, and it was their equivalent of our Imprints. The 'predating the Vampires' was something I'd like to explore one day though. For the sake of confirming what she was saying, I went and asked my wolf, figuring that he'd either confirm or deny this whole thing.

I wasn't eager to finish this conversation, don't get me wrong, but there was pain in holding the impending conversation for a long time. I wanted it over and done with. My wolf paced in the corner of my mind, circling while looking deep in thought.

_It's true. We were heart-bonded._

"_**This is why we are Imprints- our wolves already belonged to one another. According to my wolf, we take a lot of aspects from them: she had a shield power like I do. Your wolf also had an ability."**_

So that's… an interesting fact. Is that why we have Imprints? It's our wolf spirits other half? And this thing about powers.. that's also to do with our wolves? But Bella had her shield waaaaayyyy before she was a wolf.. Bella shrugged, flinching a little in the process.

"_**I asked that. That's how the whole 'destined' thing came up."**_

Apparently they'd been having quite the exciting conversation. It almost made me smile until I remembered the situation surrounding the whole thing. Then it wasn't quite so funny any more. Anyway, I was losing track of the conversation yet again, and we had to get this finished eventually, even if it took a long time. A long time and a lot of arguments. As to be expected. Someone I knew once said no healthy relationship was without an argument. Whether that was good advice or not.. well, I shrugged.

"_**What was my wolf's ability?"**_

"_**Well, you see.."**_

* * *

"_**Now, Edward."**_

This was it. The topic I'd been dreading, but also wanting to get over and done with. I nodded, pawing at my face to scratch it, akin to what cats do. Bella's shield was still wrapped securely around my mind, like I was wrapped around her form. _Not in that way you dirty minded people. _No, she was curled up in between me, with my body being on the outside- okay, I'm just digging myself a hole at this point.

Bella's voice was flat at the mere mention of the damned Leech, and her words dropped all emotion. It was like she was.. disassociating from the events. But I could hardly prove that, not with my suspicion being mainly fuelled by films and cliches- I'll have a research into it later.

I could see her claws tense into the blanket, a demonstration of her true feelings towards the matter. It wouldn't be an easy thing to get over, I knew that and I'm hardly a therapist. Well, there's no hardly about it, I'm _not a therapist_.

"_**Why-"**_

She paused for a second, the beginning of a growl building up before it cut off abruptly. I could hear her exhale through her nose, as I gently groomed her fur where I could, so I didn't cause her any more pain.

"_**Did you let him get away with what he did."**_

Her voice was stern, straightforward, a no nonsense tone that didn't leave any room for argument. Continuing to groom her, my wolf coming up beside me inside my mind. His voice was rumbling, a constant crescendo, as an imitation of the sounds came out my own throat. I didn't bother trying to stop it- it was just a sound intended to comfort.. I think.

I'd deliberated over this many a time since I'd made the decision, and I had bouts of both regret and assurance that I'd made the right decision. Which was I leaning towards right now? Er… neither? I was conflicted, okay!

"_**It wasn't that I wanted him to get away with it.. I wanted nothing more then to maul him."**_

"_**So why didn't you!"**_

Her cool, collected demeanour disappeared faster then Bella did when she ran full pelt. I nudged her, but was met by a hardened glare. _Okay.. I probably shouldn't groom her any more. _Getting up and shaking off my limbs, I jumped off the bed, before pacing in a circle, watching the glint in her eyes, and the tenseness of her muscles like she was about to bolt.

"_**Calm Bella. I know it's a bad ti-"**_

"_**Don't calm me!"**_

She snapped, her teeth yet again snapping hard on the empty air. If she got any more wound up she could risk injuring herself more.. but if I injunctioned her, not only could she probably break it, but she'd be even more pissed. I matched her glare with my level stare, my posture shifting into one that could be read as aggressive. Not that I would jump on her- _fuck no._

"_**Fine. I won't. But I'm not going to tell you anything until you calm down."**_

I sat down on my haunches, demonstrating my point. She definitely looked pissed, but I held firm. I wouldn't allow harm to come to her again, even if it meant damaging our relationship. Because what came after everything- a lesson I had learned from this whole experience- was Bella's well being and safety. And if that meant that she hated me for it.. well, I'd have to learn to live with it.

* * *

Unknown POV

It was dark, the pouring rain covering the vision of all who dared be out in this torrential weather. The dull glow of occupied shops, the light only barely illuminating the streets, and the roar of cars having been growing quieter and quieter as the day progressed into the night. Footsteps padded along the cracked and worn concrete, the steady pounding of shoes making an addictive rhythm that couldn't be easily ignored.

The moon pierced through the dark and black sky, the weather being nothing more than a nuisance to it. The sounds of footsteps picked up, louder and louder, the tempo increasing with every footstep. A woman, figure blank and obscured, turned a corner, a fearful glance being thrown over her shoulder. There was no sign of any pursuer, as she kept walking, the dark of the sky swallowing up behind her.

Having seemed to calm down, she stopped glancing behind her, which proved to be her undoing, as when she crossed a section where the back alleys criss-crossed at a junction, she was tackled from the side at a near impossible speed. She didn't have any time to scream or react, before a rough hand was placed over her mouth, and a sickening squelch was heard.

The obscured figure picked up the limp woman, slinging her over their back like a sack of limp potatoes, before disappearing, their ruby red eyes being the only thing to pierce the dark of night. Behind them, the screams of a tortured soul rang out like a gunshot, reminding everyone that we weren't alone in the place we called home.

* * *

Author's Note

It's that time of the week again!

Admittedly, this isn't my best chapter, and I know that. It's full of dialogue, and probably a drag to go through because _goddamn _if I'm terrible at writing conflict within speech.

Next chapter though will have the other half of the argument, and possibly a bit of bonding between Charlie and Bella, regarding her wolfishness: plus, it's a relationship I know I've been neglecting so far.

Now, I have something pretty cool to say. Well, cool for me, not so much for you guys. I met my Norwegian Pen Pal today! We went out for ice-cream, and talked to one another and played guitar, before she had to go as she had to go to Edinburgh, which is a fair distance from where I live.

And now, question of the week: Where does your farthest away friend live?

**Disclaimer: I do not wish for addresses. Or even cities. Just a general country. Or nothing at all. But please, please do not give me specific addresses: I want your friends to have their privacy.**

Of course, I know most of you _won't _give me their addresses, but I just want to warn anyway.

Anyway, I'd better skedaddle.

Have a nice week!

~Cait


	26. Chapter 26 - Heroes of Our Time

We'll all find our sacrifice tomorrow  
Our journey on towards a brighter day  
Silent tears we left behind, still so far away  
Across the endless sands

Through the fields of our despair  
Free for all eternity, we stand, yeah  
Rise above the universe tonight  
Starchaser

Heroes of Our Time, by Dragonforce, released in 2008, from the album Ultra Beatdown

* * *

We both held firm, neither breaking the stalemate of our argument. We'd been like this for ten minutes now, our minds shut off to one another, forms confident yet still angry. Once I realised nobody was going to give in, I got up roughly, throwing a glance at her as she stubbornly looked away, before I stormed out of my own house. I could hear my dad yelling out after me, and the straining of the imprint bond as I paced into the intent on doing _something _to work out my anger.

A part of me had expected Bella to call out after me as I had left, but no such thing happened. She really _was _serious about the personality change. The thing was, the minute I was out of Bella's shield range, there was a sudden influx of voices, all of which I didn't want to hear. I could have run to Canada and _hoped _I could get out of range, but I couldn't leave Bella unprotected.

Even if I was pissed at her lack of understanding and her whole 'cutting off my sentence thing' I still loved her. So, I roughly forced myself to phase back into human form, the voices cutting off nicely. The phase itself was more painful then usual, because of the anger I had and the fact that it was still burning hot, but I pushed myself through it, continuing to pace around the local woods.

With the sun shining down, unusually sunny when compared to Forks' normal weather, that meant that there was likely a lot of walkers out. Especially since it was a Saturday. It was kinda funny how much the days had blurred together since Bella had become a wolf, for better or for worse, and honestly while I had given up on school, being far too busy with wolf stuff- and let's face it, it wasn't my favourite thing to do- I knew Bella really wanted to go back.

She'd been _so _excited when she was due to go back, bouncing off the walls, looking forward to it like the weird person she was… but then the _event _happened and well.. she'd not be going back for a while. Especially considering she was currently stuck in wolf form. I hadn't been paying attention to where I'd been walking, and had somehow ended back at the same spot where I had found Bella all those months ago.

Even when Bella wasn't with me, or we were angry at one another, she still influenced me to some degree. Crouching down, my toes curling in the ground- since I'd only had a spare pair of shorts on me- I couldn't help but look at the scene around me. It didn't look like a brutal attack had occurred here, with any traces of blood having been long rid off, the bushes recuperating their battle wounds, and the dirt seemingly untouched.

Even the scent of Leech was long gone. Despite everything that had happened, this place was oddly mind-clearing for me and, dare I say it, reflective and humbling. It reminded me that while everything wasn't perfect, and never would be, I had a lot to be grateful. I took a minute, just standing there, resonating with my wolf spirit, and feeling more at peace then I had in a long time.

It didn't resolve my anger, no, but I was more.. calm about it, if that made any sense. I was less 'I'm going to blow a fuse and scream at you' anger, and more 'I'm going to listen to what you say, but I'm still angry' anger. With the odd sense of peace that I wasn't anticipating achieved, I turned on my heal and walked, a certain destination in mind.

Just because I was less angered, didn't mean Bella had changed her stance any. So, despite what you might believe, my destination wasn't my house. No. Instead, I went to where we kept all the old records: a large library that we held. We have a lot of different buildings on the Rez, you see, and the fact that we have ancient bloodline filled with magic wasn't exactly common knowledge.

It's not like we could store it in a normal library, otherwise our secret would have been let out a long time ago. There was a specific section that we, as wolves, and the Elders, had access to. The librarian, a nice woman by the name of Josa, was our resident bookkeeper. As a general rule, the role tended to be by blood. Josa's grandfather, you see, was also our resident book keeper, until he grew to the age of seventy and handed the role to Josa, who was eager for it.

If you had the role in your family, you didn't necessarily have to accept it, but many did. The building itself was old, a structure with wooden support beams, that curved at the top into a dome shape. The main base was old, mossy stone bricks, stacked up on one another. There were glass windows at the front, with the smooth edges meeting with the mottled grey bricks. The moss was scattered in clumps across the walls, crawling up and down like the incy wincy spider going up the water spout.

Pushing open the door, I stepped in, careful not to disturb anyone reading, as I made my way to the reception desk, a small distance away from the entrance. This was something I should have done a long time ago. As I approached, I noticed that Josa wasn't at the reception, and was instead a little distance away, talking to George, another resident of the Rez, who was our local butcher.

As I waited, I carefully tugged on the bond, testing the waters. Going back if she was still angry was pointless, and I didn't want to incite her wrath, because it would take us back to square one. Anger travelled sharply across the bond before it was cut off acutely, and I recoiled, stepping away. She hadn't calmed down yet, it seemed. Josa seemed to notice me, as she came back over, a small smile coming over her face.

"Hiya Jake. How's Bella?"

I shrugged. How _was _Bella? It wasn't exactly a topic we had discussed much. Still, going with a very loose definition of 'she's okay', I replied:

"She's.. ah, fine, I think. She's just recovering."

Judging by her wise looking face, she probably read between the lines. Still, her hands reached up to her neck, revealing a small, penknife sized key. The library was pretty empty, much like normal libraries were. The thing was, we were big believers in hard copies, and paper copies, not technological copies. Paper copies were a lot more difficult to get your hands on.

"You two will end up talking again.. you two are made for one another. I take it you're here for..?"

Ignoring the first part of her sentence, and how confident she sounded, I nodded, and she took her key off from around her neck, and gestured to me to follow. She walked to the back of the library, where several bookshelves were: well, it _was _a library after all.

Looking carefully around, she pulled out several books, revealing a tiny key hole. Placing her key in and turning there was no audible noise- it wouldn't be very secret then, would it? She placed the books back in, before going back to her desk, and I followed behind her. Behind her desk, there was now a small descending bit of stairs.

"There you go. Just knock when you want back up."

I thanked her, before carefully going down the deep concrete stairs, the familiar walls of the library disappearing behind me. As I got to the bottom, I walked out into a room filled with stacks upon stacks of old looking books. At the end, on a pedestal, there was a large book, with neat writing and pages yellowed with decay. The page was settled on _my _page, with my grandfather's name written, along with his wife, then my father, and my mother, and then me.

It looked like a bog standard family tree, with every name written in different handwriting. My name was written in my father's handwriting, scrawled as it may be, and read '_Jacob Ephraim Black, Alpha Line, January 14__th__, 1990.' _Picking up the quil that was perhaps as old as time itself- how had it not disintegrated yet- and unscrewing the bottle of ink, I carefully dipped it in and added some information in to it. I added _'Imprint to, Isabella Marie Swan'. _

Then, I drew two lines, before redipping it into the ink, and adding another section of information. _'Isabella Marie Swan, Alpha Female Line, September 13__th__, 1987, Imprint to Jacob Ephraim Black.' _Then, I quickly flicked through the book, before ending up at another page, the one that consisted of the Alpha Female line, before adding Bella to that as well. It was time to go searching for family.

* * *

Before I leap into my relationship with Bella, I feel like it's necessary to talk about what I uncovered in her family tree. Her long ago ancestor, Taha Aki's daughter, someone called Adah, was the first to carry the wolf gene. Well, she was in the first generation of the wolf gene. She then proceeded to marry someone from the Makkah tribe, and had two children, two boys. They also had the ability to phase.

Like I said, none of the females of her line phased, until almost a century later, where a man of Taha Aki's son's line, Achachak, imprinted on the daughter, Abequa. Once the Imprint occurred, it was written down that Abequa became a wolf, with fur mismatched of all the colours. They went on to have children, and this is where the family tree diverges- because their only daughter distanced herself after not phasing, and went to somewhere else, where that line continued on, with none of them phasing.

Centuries upon centuries later, Abey, a descendent, went back to La Push, where the current Alpha- someone by the name of Viho, imprinted on her, but it was reported that the bond was only half strong. And thus, if you remember the information we found earlier, and I mean way back to where we younger and Bella was still a newbie wolf, this was the first instance of 'the half bond'. It seemed it was a repeating thing, then.

The thing was, after that pack, the phasing stopped, until my Grandfather, Ephraim, and his wife, Martha Young, became the first Alpha and Alpha female to phase. Then it skipped a generation, and voila, we were the next kin in line. You might think that's irrelevant or what not, but we wolves held our lineages dear, and like a monarchy, bloodline was incredibly important.

It was an instinctive thing, but the fact that Bella's bloodline, the Alpha Female line, further cemented her right to the role. I knew that some part of Bella yearned to know more about her family tree, where she got the gene from, and attempt to understand how she was destined to be a wolf. I could help her with the former, but not so much with the later.

We, funnily enough, didn't have a family tree of wolf spirits, mainly because this was the first time we actively communed with them. With that general knowledge filled in, I returned to my house, noticing a distinct lack of Charlie but the immediate presence of my father. Well nah Jacob, it wasn't _his house _or anything.

"Jake."

He sighed in relief. I'd really worried him.. I'd been gone for a while. Judging by the fact it was going dark now- not that it meant much mid October- I'd probably been gone for four or five hours. Still, I was feeling much calmer, and invigorated with knowledge- a phrase I'd never thought I'd say.

"Charlie's up with Bella now. He's trying to calm her down a little but-"

He smirked, making me think he was about to release a 'Dad' joke. Turns out, due to some secret sense, I was right.

"It's a little one sided."

I groaned, running my hand down my face. What was with Dad's and funny jokes? Ugh. Still, running my hands through my hair, I looked up to the stairs, where Bella was resting. Charlie came down a little while after I had gotten myself situated on the sofa, and gave me a look.

"She's ah.. more conversational now. She should listen to what you say."

I nodded my thanks, and began to ascend the stairs that might as well have been Mt Everest. Still, walk up them I did, preparing myself for '_The Edward Conversation' _try 2. Let's hope it went better this time.

* * *

"Bells?"

I called out, stepping into my own room. That was a weird sentence. And a weird action, now that I think about it. I wasn't expecting an answer, not in the human sense, but I did hear a croon. I took that for permission to enter my room. Bella, since my dramatic exit, had relocated to the chair in the corner of my room, curled up with a blanket wrapped around her. Did she need it? Nope. But if I were to guess, I'd wager it was a comfort thing.

I approached her, feeling an odd sense of deja vu, and she didn't warn me off or anything, so I eventually made it in front of her, kneeling with my hand outstretched. Without any prompting from me, she leaned into it as I ran my fingers through the side of her mouth- the scruff of fur, not the literal inside of her mouth.

No bitten fingers was good. It meant she wasn't mad enough to maul me. There was the warm fuzzy feeling of Bella's shield wrapping around me, as she pulled back. This time, I stayed in human form as Bella's thoughts trickled through once more.

_I realise that I was very hasty in chewing you out earlier. I apologise for that, the unwillingness to listen, but not for my anger in relation to the situation._

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much of an apology, but I was thankful for the one I got. I wasn't going to hold a grudge over her reaction, because if I held a grudge it would lead to nothing good. Still, I dipped by head, and began to speak, carefully watching my words so that it A, didn't come across as if I was babying her, and B, didn't come across as if I thought I had the moral superiority. I'd rather not upset her again, if I had any option about it.

"It's alright. You have a good reason for being angry."

There was an awkwardness around the situation, before Bella spoke again, calm and more willing to listen. I was expecting her to be mad, but at least she was going to listen to my reasoning. Even if I had the funny feeling that I'd make a mistake.. but there was another feeling that was telling me I'd made the right one. And I couldn't tell if that was my own wishful thinking or if it was that subtle power I supposedly had.

"So, the reason I let Edward get away with what he did was-"

* * *

Unknown POV

It was a small room. No larger then the small tucked away cafes that you get on the corner of alleys, it was filled with bodies, foot to foot and head to head. Layer upon layer of bodies. They were still, unmoving, unspeaking. Similarly to before, it was dark, no glow of light to be seen, making it almost impossible to see any distinguished features. The pounding of rain could be heard loudly on the roof, an echoing noise that could be heard by anybody with ears.

They seemed to be in varying degrees of changing , writhing in pain, with screams fighting against the sound of the rain. A large metal door at one end of the room was opened, allowing a small sliver of light to trickle through as someone threw a body like it was nothing more then a pile of rubbish, onto the other bodies. It landed with a harsh sounding thud, their head lolling against the ground.

Almost everything went silent, before the symphony of screams started up once again, with them picking up sound after every minute. The door creaked slowly closed at a slow pace, with the woman from earlier being the one to toss the body. In the slight hint of light, the woman's ruby red eyes became even more visible, illuminating the darkness. Another pair of red eyes appeared behind the woman, wrapping their arms around her and engaging her in what looked to be a kiss.

The woman smiled, something cold and evil, almost admiring her handiwork as the door finally closed, the bodies in the room forgotten in favour of wrapping her lips around the other person, the two of them staying _engaged _for a long period of time, the tortured screams becoming their backing track.

* * *

Author's Note

Hiii everyone! How are you all?

For once, I have a decent excuse for this chapter being shorter then usual- I was actually ill Tuesday-Wednesday, leaving me to try and rush to get this chapter finished.

For those of you who are curious, I had labyrinthitis. It's about as nice as it sounds.

I'm still not 100%, which is why I'm keeping this relatively short, because I want to go to bed early.

So, QOTW: What is something you dislike, but everyone else largely seems to like? For me: I dislike the _Witcher_ series, which is well known, but I also dislike _Love Island _with a burning passion. Books wise... I don't like Lord of the Rings or _the Hobbit, _something that is odd considering I normally love fantasy novels.

Anyway, I'm going to sleep off the remainder of this bug.

See ya next time!

~Cait


	27. Chapter 27 - Save the World

Into the streets, we're coming down  
We never sleep, never get tired  
Through urban fields, and suburban life

Turn the crowd up now, we'll never back down  
Shoot down a skyline, watch it in prime time  
Turn up the love now, listen up now, turn up the love

Who's gonna save the world tonight?  
Who's gonna bring you back to life?  
We're gonna make it, you and I  
We're gonna save the world tonight

We're far from home, it's for the better  
What we dream, it's all that matters  
We're on our way, united

Save the World, Swedish House Mafia, from the album Until Now, released in 2012

* * *

"_I understand why you did it.. and that you thought it would lead to the best outcome of the pack.. but I'm still angry."_

I shrugged. That had been the answer I'd been expecting. She deserved her vengeance, but I had practically denied her that. But at least she didn't hate me. I meant everything I'd said, when I said I'd rather she hated me then get hurt, but that didn't mean I wanted her to. I nodded, before stretching.

She yawned, before gently moving down from the bed, her fur tussled and messy, and she was still graceful despite being covered in head to toe with bandages, rods, and bruises. Now, you might be wondering: 'What about your advanced healing capabilities?' Well, Bella's capabilities were practically non-existent. She hadn't lost them, no, but if we momentarily think of it like a fire.

The fire provides heat for as long as it has fuel. Once the fuel is gone, so too does the heat. That's pretty much Bella's healing system. There's no fuel because she hasn't been eating, so it can't work. Until her appetite increases, she will be healing at regular old human healing pace. But since her appetite was going to take time to return… well, it's simple.

"_Can we go down for a walk?"_

I was sceptical. She was injured, swaddled in more bandages then someone in a full body cast, and was much less walk, and much more waddle. Still, I couldn't keep her tied up, nor could a mollycoddle her to where she resented me. Plus, we were all keen to stay near the Rez for the minute, because of everything that had happened.

Close and at comfort. Still, I could possibly turn this into at least a nice expedition. And, if I said no, she could go anyway, and just sneak out. And with her shielding her mind, we'd be none the wiser.

"Yeah.. just let me prepare a few things."

She didn't comment, instead circling and repeatedly stretching with only a slight grimace of pain. I quickly made my exit, and down towards our fully stocked kitchen- or our_ hopefully _fully stocked kitchen. Looking around, my dad and Charlie ducking their heads in- I very quickly shooed Charlie off because I liked our kitchen being in tact- before going towards the fridge. Stretching, I had a light bulb thought, before picking up my phone and phoning everybody's go to person in the pack.

"Hey Em? Yeah.. I have an idea, but it's quite short notice.."

* * *

"_**Where are we going?"**_

"_**You'll see"**_

The pace we were walking at was fairly slow, and the path was largely untreaded. I was looking forward to this little event I'd planned, and I was hoping that it would allow us to relax a little, even with the threat of the missing leech and all of this animosity hanging over us. We needed to bond more, so nothing was better then a little meet and greet.

There was nothing better then being out in the wild in wolf form, trust me when I say that. The scents, the smells, the sense of being _free. _In some instances, wolf life was easier then human life, but in other instances, the other way round was also true. In human form, you didn't need to worry about hunting to survive. Anyway, stepping over a little bit of ageing shrubbery, there was an idyllic scene set out in front of us.

There was a series of large picnic blankets spread out over the grass, tartan blurring with chequered squares blurring with plain solid blocks of colour. Sat in the middle of the squares was Emily, Kim, and little Claire, who was standing up and hanging off of Quil's neck like a little monkey. There was a wide range of baskets spread out, plates scattering the blankets like snow, and the smell of food wafted around our noses.

Sam was patrolling around, as was Leah, Shadow and Embry, but they were dropping in every so often. The grey form of Paul was slinking around next to Seth, who was jumping up like he'd been on sugar. Jared was snoozing gently next to Kim, her hands going round and round in his fur, curling it and mussing it.

Turning back to see Bella's hobbling form, odd patches of fur wavering every so often, her eyes opened widely, turning her head in confusion. I braced her form subtly, walking up against her but being careful to not jostle her.

"_**I'm not trying to make you forgive me, but I thought it would be a good time to bond with the pack some more- they've been worried."**_

The last thing I wanted was for her to think I was trying to get into her good books by arranging pack bonding time. Trust me, I very much deserved being put 'in the doghouse'. Still, she didn't reply, causing me to look at her worriedly. She shook her head a little, as I could feel her shield expand and the other's thoughts begin to trickle in.

"_**Hi everyone?"**_

She called out, as everyone present turned to face us. We walked towards them, as Seth came bounding over, stopping just before he crashed into Bella. His tail was going mile a minute, as Paul came up alongside him aswell, with _Paul's _tail wagging lowly.

"_**It's nice to see you up and well Bella!"**_

Paul nodded in agreement, batting at Seth's face with his paw in an attempt to get him to calm down. Seth was a bundle of optimism, and I swear he was constantly hyper, yet oddly mature, which was an odd mix considering his age.

A small smile graced Bella's muzzle, as a mental laugh shyly rang out, accompanying the odd noise that was our wolf laugh. We all walked towards the blankets as Bella curled up on the mat, nudging ever so slightly into the side of Emily, chuffing as Emily tussled her fur, or what little she could get to anyway.

"You want something to eat?"

Bella looked contemplative, before nodding slowly. I sat down next to her as Claire's curiosity seemed to overwhelm her, toddling over to us with Quil watching with a fond look on his face. Crawling into Emily's lap, she reached out to touch Bella's fur, before jerking her hands back sharply. Big and shining eyes looked between Emily and Bella, as Emily took a break from stroking Bella and instead directed Claire's attention to her own eyes.

"Wolfy is hurt?"

I snickered a little at how Bella was referred to as Wolfy, but then I also remembered how the two of them had never really met in the first place. Claire's concern was honestly sweet, because it was clear she didn't want to hurt Bella by accident.

"Her name is Bella, Claire. She just had a little accident. She's special, like Quil and Jake and Sam."

She walked over to where Bella was lying, and held her hand out experimentally. Bella nudged into it, and I saw her tongue dart out to lick Claire's hand, causing her to giggle happily. Claire went down onto her knees and gently outstretched her hand again, causing Bella to tease her by quickly flicking her tongue out, before instead moving forward and licking Claire on the face- the cheek.

It was only there she licked, nowhere else- and it caused her to laugh wildly and in delight. _It was a good idea,_ I thought, _arranging this whole thing. I haven't seen Bella laugh like that or smile like that for a while._

"Could I stroke you Bella?"

Claire's pronunciation was honestly adorable. Be-la. She didn't hold the syllable for very long, looking and sounding adorable as she tried in vain- pulling an impressive look of concentration-to say 'Bell-lah'. Still, Bella nodded her head, as Emily guided Claire's hand to Bella's neck. She- Bella- inhaled sharply as Claire ran her hands along, causing all of us to look at her worriedly, before she exhaled, relaxing a little.

There was no need to panic after all. Or at least, not much. No more then usual. Although with everyone gathered, I was reminded of yet _another _topic of conversation I needed to bring up.

* * *

We'd swapped runners for a little while. I'd been lacking in that particular job lately, so I swapped out with Sam, giving him a chance to wind down and chill. It also gave Bella some not pissed off time away from me. Which was always a benefit. As much as I disliked leaving her alone, rationally I knew Shadow, despite having the chance to swap out with someone, refused, continuing to patrol.

Honestly, it was rare I even saw Shadow, because he slept out in the wild, and very rarely interacted with us at all. He even hunted his own food, which wasn't weird but most definitely unusual. It still made me question why he had agreed to join our pack, but each to their own. I loped around without much point, circling around La Push and round that little jut that was Bella's house.

Ever since we had added it to our patrol line, our neat little circle round La Push had turned into a weird circle thing with a square on the end. It's a shape that is weird to describe. Shadow appeared out of nowhere- literally- next to me, startling me a little bit as he easily picked up my stride, as we bounded over logs and crunched logs beneath our clawed paws. Bella's shield had tightened to around just those in the clearing, leaving me, Shadow, Seth and Paul time to talk between ourselves.

"_**It is nice to see Strawberry out and moving."**_

I nodded in agreement, as I turned to look at him, still keeping a look on my surroundings. I didn't want to headbutt a tree because that would hurt, funnily enough. That was another funny thing about Shadow, he very rarely called us by our human names. Only our scent names.

I'd guess it was something to do with his nature. Still, I scented the air experimentally as I tried to explore my surroundings without physically exploring my surroundings. Any deer or woodland creatures had long since vanished when a pack of wolves came in, trying to avoid becoming our lunch.

"_**It is. I'm happy she's happy."**_

The sun was still shining high in the sky, the clouds clear in a rare day in Forks. Despite my life seeming relatively okay for the minute- the Pack were strong, my Imprint was okay for the current time, and well, we hadn't lost anyone. Touch wood anyway.

But I had a feeling that all was not right, but for the life of me, I couldn't determine why. With the knowledge about my new found power, I had no idea whether it was that or not. I wasn't exactly making a decision or anything.. and my wolf didn't have much idea either, despite all his wisdom.

"_**As any heart-bond should. Heed that warning, because it will never fail you."**_

An odd thing to say, but I assumed it was to do with his experience with his own powers. He didn't elaborate, and I had learnt to not prod. Still, Shadow uttered something under his breath in a language that was not wolf, nor English, before closing his eyes briefly and opening them back again, heterochromic eyes staring with an unknown emotion, and the sound of twigs snapping ever so more loudly under his paws.

"_**She'll come back to you yet. Strawberry walks the line between anger and understanding, treading on both sides before coming to a decision."**_

How exactly _old _was Shadow? He sounded so wise, yet looked so young. At some point, surely, we had to learn how old he was, or at least part of his background. It wasn't essential, but it would help us understand him. He caught wind of my thoughts- hardly a difficult feat considering we were very much linked- and I swear I saw the flicker of a frown, before his face carefully went neutral once more.

"_**I'm older then you know.**_"

The conversation died then as Shadow sped ahead and put distance between he and I. I'd probably said something stupid.. yet again. Subtlety was not my strong suit, Jesus Christ. An image of Bella, happy and laughing flickered up in my mind, but the thought was, surprisingly, not my own. It was Seth's.

I could feel Seth's fierce protection of her, his determination to do his best by her and me. That kind of pressure wasn't what I wanted, but again, I knew it was inevitable. Still, I felt honoured that the pack cared for Bella so much, especially considering the whole.. _Edward_ thing.

"_**She's one of us now. 'Thought she'd just manipulate us at first, after being with the Leech, but I was wrong."**_

_Paul? Admitting he was wrong? _Miracles _did _happen. Well.. I knew that all too well. The wolf in question smirked through the pack mind, loping throughout the woods, carefully paying attention to his surroundings.

"_**Yeah yeah, don't get used to-"**_

"_**There has been a Vampire here."**_

Shadow, in an action uncharacteristic of him, calmly spoke over what Paul had been going to say. The word Vampire made my ears prick up, my teeth bare themselves, my hackles raise and a growl begin to bloom in my throat. The Redhead couldn't be stupid enough to come here, could she? No matter- dangerous she may be but we would beat her, burn her, and make her _pay _for her role in Bella's experiences.

Shadow scented the air yet again, and as sure as the anger in my mind, the scent of acrid sugar and bleach confirmed Leech. It seemed sort of stale though.. I slammed down sharply on my feelings of anger, because I knew that if Bella got a handle on the fact that there was a potential Leech here, then injury or no injury, she would try her damnedest to be involved with that fight. She was ridiculously stubborn at the best of times.

"_**Nobody tell Bella."**_

There was a silence, but I knew they all would go along with what I had said, as we all knew what Bella was like. Still, we needed everyone at the picnic thing to know that there was potentially a Leech on the prowl. Thinking quickly, and channelling my inner Alpha, I organised things with the help of my wolf, who had his own ideas on what to do. He comfortably sat next to me in my mind, as we held a conversation in a mere few words.

_Our Imprint cannot know. She is not healed enough to try and fight. Someone needs to inform the others, while keeping our Imprint unaware. I suggest the Pup. He need not be involved any-more then he has already._

I still had much regrets for taking Seth to Alaska, and then onwards to Russia, and if I could help it, I would keep him away from this war I wanted to wage. There was no reason to let them go this time, and I would _not _let them away again. And if it happened to be the Cullens, well, there was no second chance. Not _this _time.

"_**Seth, run back to the others and inform them, without telling Bella, what's going on. Tell them we need three patrollers to pick up our slack. Paul, come with me to where Shadow is. We have a Leech to hunt."**_

* * *

Unknown POV

Mid-Day. A risky day for most of the figure's kind, but it was ignored for the most part. Feet blurring, they travelled throughout the forest, skin reflecting light like glass shards on the floor. Vibrant colours that would sting normal eyes, the small drops of dew hanging on the edge of a leaf, the dirt hardly being disturbed by the fast-paced footsteps of the figure, as they set up position to watch their plans unfold.

Downwind from the Mutts, unable to be scented, high up, watching their minion be led to their death like lambs to a slaughter. He was useless in the scheme of things, no powers, arrogant, and overly prideful. Give him enough time, he would endanger the plan, and that was unacceptable.

The idiot moved around below her, and it did not take long for the mutts to come out, the large brown one, who she learned was mates to that bitch who took her James away from her, a large black one, Alpha of this mangy coven, and a grey one, the one she did not know about.

She would try and factor in the Bitch's mate.. take her lover away from her and see how she liked it. Hmm.. she was pleasantly surprised to see that the Bitch's injuries still lingered, not as fast healing as they were supposed to be. This was an interesting development.. as the wolves set upon the idiot, who tried to beat them all only to be torn apart mercilessly.

Once she was sure the idiot was dead, she turned and fled, a sadistic smile resting neatly on her face. Yes. It _was _an interesting development indeed.

* * *

Author's Note

Hello everyone! How are you all this fine evening- for me anyway.

I'm pretty good. Tomorrow is the last day of the term before I'm off for two weeks, which I'm looking forward to. And I've almost completely recovered from the labyrinthitis I had last week, which is even better.

I went to the Theatre on Tuesday Night, saw Saturday Night Fever, and OH MY GOD it was so good. I _loved _it. I need to watch the original at some point. Fun fact, as a result I was going to make the song 'Tragedy' for this chapter, but realised it suits better for another chapter.

Anyway, QOTW before I go off to bed- what do you think of brex- I'm kidding. I'm not touching _that _topic with a fifteen foot pole. What is everybody's favourite musical- or film, if you don't like musicals.

Honestly, now it would either be Footloose or Saturday Night Fever for my favourite musicals. I love 'em both. And my favourite film.. well, I'd guess any Marvel film in the MCU, or Bohemian Rhapsody, or Kingsman.

Now, I'm going to go sleep.

See you all next time!

~A sleepy bookworm


	28. Chapter 28 - Army of Two

I came, I saw, tore down these walls  
Block one way, I'll find another  
You know you'll always be discovered  
If it's me, you choose, I can't lose  
I'm in love with you if you love me too, yeah

Don't ever change, and I'll stay the same  
We'll be swimming in the same direction  
And we'll never lose this connection  
Nothing they can do can stop this army of two  
We're marching to the future, yeah, it's me and you

Army of Two, by Olly Murs, from the album Right Place Right Time, released in 2012

* * *

Call me paranoid, but there was something _off _about the Leech we'd caught and dismembered. It was too easy, and why would they come on claimed territory, for no reason at all? Something wasn't right, but I didn't know what, and I had no evidence to prove it. In every other instance, the Vampires that had passed through had been mid-travel, running _through _the forest, rather than just standing and waiting.

"_**What're you thinking?"**_

Sam asked me, staring at the ashes and keeping his eyesight off my own eyes. The flames still licked at the edges of the neat pile, the smell of Leech thankfully wavering away into the sky. The question Sam asked was one that nobody could answer.. and there was a lack of leads, only suspicions and worries. Blinking, and taking a glance at the ashes, my claws curling into the dirt and leaving deep arching marks, I couldn't but help but think of Bella.

"_**Something is coming. This was a test. No Leech is that stupid. We need to prepare."**_

Sam nodded in agreement, before swiping his paw across the pile of ash, scattering it and causing it to flutter harmlessly into the wind. I turned my back on it, with some heavy thoughts that I was trying desperately to keep from Bella. Was keeping this hidden from her a bad thing? Likely. It would most definitely end up biting me in the ass. But I was not letting her get involved with another fight if I could help it- _not _when she was still recovering from her previous ordeal.

"_**Are you?.."**_

Paul asked, cutting his sentence off halfway through. I sighed, walking back towards where I knew the rest of the pack were, mind in turmoil and my wolf silently trying to offer me support. Plus the block I was forcing myself to put on our bond, as not to worry Bella, who should be currently _enjoying _her time out of bed. I wasn't about to burden her with this.. but keeping it secret while we prepared, _and _keeping it out of the pack mind would be a very difficult job.

"_**Yes."**_

* * *

"_**Hey Bells."**_

I greeted, nuzzling her as her shield wrapped around me securely, indulging me in all the various conversations. She headbutted me lightly, her ears perking up and swivelling curiously. Looking around, I saw little Claire curled up on the blanket, with Bella wrapped around her protectively, not allowing any harm to come to her.

"_**How're you feeling?"**_

She shrugged, or at least, the best she could considering she was swaddled in both bandages and a blanket that was now draped over her. I wanted to ask her how her wounds were and if she was in any pain... but I equally didn't want to bring it up. I didn't get any chance to even open my mouth, because Bella, filled with a burning curiosity that I currently wished she didn't possess, asked me a question that I didn't have an answer to.

"_**What was that about?"**_

Clamping down hard on my thoughts, and heavily restricting what goes through, I fumbled for an excuse. The _birthday planning _was no excuse considering it was October... Uh... Aha! Becoming Alpha! That's technically not a lie.. just a half-truth. Still... I hated lying to her... Still, it was my job to protect her and our pack, and _I would not fail again._

"_**They wanted to ask me when I wanted to take my mantle of Alpha.. and I said soon."**_

Bella watched my eyes for a moment, and I forced myself to keep her stare. I didn't twitch, and my wolf subtly bled into my form, helping me to conceal any signs of deceit. She seemed satisfied and nodded, watching as Quil came over to give her thanks for looking after the sleeping Claire.

"_**Does that mean I have to become Alpha Female?"**_

I shook my head. She should only become Alpha Female when she was ready. I said as much, and she smiled softly, looking at me with unwavering trust.

"_**I want to do it at the same time. Together until the end, I think."**_

And God, if that didn't pull at my heartstrings and made me sick with guilt.

* * *

I didn't sleep well that night. I had pulled a mattress onto the floor and had made my bed there. I could have slept on the plain floor, and that had been my plan, but Bella had insisted, and well, it hadn't been worth causing an argument. Not when I had the feeling we would have a lot of those in the coming months.

I tossed and turned, the mattress feeling more like I was lying on a bed of spikes then on soft cotton. The duvet was one I had long since kicked off, shifting awkwardly in an attempt to settle, but to no avail. Looking at the clock on the wall, it read 3:02 AM, meaning I had been in bed for just shy of five hours. Normally, I would go out and do a patrol if I couldn't sleep, but I had promised Bella I would stay with her for the night. And I'd rather not break her trust again.. or any more then I was already.

I'd tried everything I knew to sleep.. counted sheep, tried phasing, tried pacing, tried reading, and I'd tried listening to music. Nothing worked. So I propped myself up on a pillow, and borrowed Bella's copy of Wuthering Heights, as it was the nearest book to hand. Literally, because she kept it on the side of the bed, and it saved me risking waking anyone else up.

I honestly had no idea what she saw in this book because it was seriously one of the most boring books I'd ever read. I wasn't the biggest reader in the world, being much more 'get up and do it', but sometimes I could settle down to read occasionally. But, Wuthering Heights... God, it took the biscuit. Not only was it written in old English, _but, _it also had a thick Yorkshire accent written in it. I doubt even a modern Yorkshire person could understand it!

But, at the very least, I hoped it would be a good sleep aid. That's all I needed it to be. I'd managed to struggle through the first couple of paragraphs, feeling no more tired than when I had started when I heard whimpering. I tore my eyes away from the book- a difficult feat, trust me- and turned to look at Bella, who's legs were flailing limply in the bed. I could see the bumps of the duvet move as she twitched.

Her whimpers and whines were something that I'd unfortunately grown used to- hurting me every time they were uttered- because while she could be careful while she was awake, nothing was stopping her from jostling her wounds when she was asleep. We'd tried a lot of things to keep her comfortable, attempted to pad her bandages extra thick to absorb some of her movement, tried giving her some extra-strong painkillers. Nothing seemed to work.

So, I'd grown accustomed to her occasional yet often exclamations of pain, but still looked up to check on her out of habit. There was something different this time though. To accompany her whines and whimpers, and flailing back legs, I could see her entire body trembling, seeming so small in the bed. I got up, quietly and walked over to where she was laying, trying not to disturb her.

Whimpers of _fear _rang out as she thrashed wildly in the bed, muzzle snapping on empty air, and claws reaching nothing but sheets. Gouges littered the sheets, threads separated as neatly as if a professional seamstress had done it. I didn't want to touch her for fear of making it worse, so I tried the bond first, peering through it like I was walking on eggshells.

_Bella?_

The bond was shut tighter than Alcatraz. Nothing slipped through, no emotions, not even the faintest trickle of thoughts. Normally, the bond would be permanently open, freely keeping the bond open, everything shared between person and person, wolf to wolf, Imprint to Imprint, and heart-bond to heart-bond. The fact that it wasn't should have been worrying, if not for Bella's shield. It was a safety power mostly, so it didn't surprise me that it was sealed around her when she was most vulnerable.

Still, I was reluctant to force my way through unless there was no other way because I could make things a hell of a lot worse. I carefully stroked her back in an attempt to calm her down, but she only thrashed more, so I pulled my hands back. Even injured, her claws could cause some serious damage. Shaking her awake was unlikely to be an option, and would likely make things worse.

_Can you talk to Bella's wolf?_

There was a pause, and I could feel my wolf treading along the bond, softly and shyly, without making a dramatic entrance. Halfway through, I could feel him trying to project thoughts, but to no avail. There was no answer at all.

_No. She seems to be trapped in her thoughts. It is an endless cycle._

Looks like we're going it the hard way. I took a deep breath in, before trying via the pack mind. It took a second or two to access it from human form, but I got there, eventually. There were a couple of other wolves phased, patrolling as they had gotten the night shift- I had day shifts for the next week or so, but they ignored me, their thoughts quiet as they knew Bella was stuck in wolf form for the foreseeable future.

"_**Bella? Bells?"**_

The other wolves currently phased were confused about why I was trying to wake up Bella. Surely I wanted her to get some rest? Yes, I did. But I didn't want her to be stuck in a nightmare either. I wasn't expecting a response, and I didn't get one. The pressure was beginning to form in my head, beginning to give me a little bit of a headache, so I tried one more time before retreating out of the pack mind. Time to try an injunction.

"**Bella. Wake up."**

There was no response whatsoever. Even with the current of power underneath, me trying to enforce my will, it simply washed over her like I was just speaking in plain old English. Sighing, and with the need to wake her up becoming more urgent with every increase of symphony and every flinch of pain, I'd given up doing it the relatively nice way.

No, I wasn't about to throw some ice-cold water over her, because that's just cruel. I traipsed carefully along our bond, with my wolf flanking me. Bella's mind was closed off, and I was reminded all too clearly of when she was kidnapped. Reigning in a snarl, we were going to have to try and pry through it with the force of two. We didn't need to, however, because it simply parted around us when I tried to move through.

Well, I had tried to slam through, with it parting, and managed to gracefully- _not- _land, sprawled on the floor. Well… whatever we were walking on. Could it be defined as a floor? Anyway, with my wolf snickering despite ourselves, and no Bella to greet us, we soldiered on. It was a deep and dark place, nothing like my hall of memories from earlier. The distinct feeling I was getting was that of solitude, of being alone, which was both one of our, and our wolves, worst nightmares.

_There's something wrong. It should not be so... lonely.. here._

_I agree. The fact that Strawberry isn't answering is unusual indeed.. and the fact that she would not wake up from her night cycle. This is very unlike her._

I was no experienced person at travelling through someone's mind. But instinctively, I knew something was wrong. Her mind should be a place of safety, or warmth, a place to be protected, somewhere she could retreat if she wasn't coping. It shouldn't be such a cold and almost fearful place to stay in. Yet again, it left me wondering what had Edward done to her.

_I will go find Strawberry. I suggest you find her counterpart._

From that point onwards, we split. My wolf heading left, further into the inky darkness, as I forged onwards. There were no sounds, nothing to help me distinguish left from right, light from dark, the right way from the wrong way. It was unnerving, and honestly, I felt invasive for even doing this, but it was either this, cold water, or letting her suffer. And call me selfish, but I _couldn't _let her suffer. Not now. Not again.

"_Bella?"_

I kept walking through, trying to gather Bella's attention or get a clue to where she was. Soon, the shrouded walls were exchanged with wooden floors and bricked walls. It was still cold, and I could feel the wind slash at my body. Keeping myself collected, I kept walking, further into the cold air. Around my feet, barefooted as they were, snow melted away, parting as the ground does during an earthquake.

"_Bella!"_

I called out again, shouting as my voice echoed around, bouncing off every wall. I tried to listen out again, and faintly, ever so faintly, I heard whimpering. For better or for worse, I picked up my pace into a jog. I headed towards the sound, running through various corridors, that I was convinced would never end until I came to a doorway.

I didn't even think about it, pushing open the door into a dark room. Concrete floors greeted me as I jogged through, the cold even more noticeable now. It took me a minute to realise that I _knew _this room. Looking around, I saw Bella in that _damned _cage again, chains restraining her yet again.

"Bella!"

There was no response as I tried to get her attention. It was like I wasn't there in the first place. I saw Mind-Reader Leech leaning over her, hands outstretched as he kicked her again and again, striking her. I ran over to him, and pulled my fist back, throwing it with as much power as I could behind it. I _wanted _him to hurt. It made no difference though because it just passed through him like I wasn't even here in the first place.

For a brief second, he retreated from hurting her, looking directly at me. I bared my teeth, wanting nothing more than to hurt him yet again before I realised he was looking _through_ me. Turning sharply on my heel, I saw my wolf standing, chained up like a dog. Blinking rapidly, and lunging forward, I tried to pry off the chains, before my wolf talked to me, from wherever he was.

_That is not me. I am currently waking Strawberry. She should wake soon. Bella may require touch to wake._

That was the first time I had ever heard him refer to Bella as Bella, but I wasn't about to judge. So this must be part of Bella's dream. I chose, for the moment, not to dwell on the fact that she was envisioning me being hurt, and instead tried to break into the cage. Turns out, for once in my life, it was as easy as it sounds.

Upon inspection, my hand passed through harmlessly, and after experimenting with a few shaking limbs, and waves, I stepped through, none the worse for wear. Crouching down on my knees, I reached out, grasping the back of her neck loosely, and tried to ground her, murmuring her name. I could hear Edward taunting, the whines of the nightmare-me as he was pounded upon, and focused on trying to draw her attention to me. Bella was fixed on Edward though, and nothing I did would draw her attention.

My wolf and Strawberry- which is what I was calling her wolf- appeared out of thin air, before pacing over to us, but not without a glance towards the nightmare figures. Bella's wolf slipped through the bars, flanked by my wolf, who looked remorseful, wrapping herself around her. Bella's eyes seemed to clear a little, as her wolf kept doing that, as I and my wolf ran our hands/tongues down her fur.

"It's okay Bella. You're safe now."

And just like that, sharply and surprisingly, we were violently tugged back into my mind, back into my body, and nursing the violent metaphysical whiplash and headache. Upon opening my eyes and immediately shutting them again due to the world deciding to spin, and then opening them again, Bella had snapped awake, breathing shallowly. I rushed to her side, falling part of the way due to the dizziness, before trying to soothe her and let her scent me as a soothing mechanism.

"Shhh… Bella. It was just a nightmare. We won't let that happen again."

I just hoped it was a promise I could keep.

* * *

Victoria's POV

The army was progressing nicely. Powers of various forms, from pyrotechnics to the mind-warpers, littered throughout. With the additional training that was being provided thanks to a former general, they would be an army to be contended with. There was one power, one person with power, that she cherished most, however. That was the key to this whole situation.

Nicole. A young vampire, one of the ones she had turned herself, could neutralise shields, which would stop that bitch in her tracks. No shield meant she couldn't protect her pack of mutts, which made a glaring hole in their defences. She made sure that her key players were receiving one to one training because _they could not fall. _One of her scouts, another new vampire by the name of Troy, came back from scouting the wolves.

Something she had not been able to do, because she was keeping her firm control on the army. Troy had a passive ability, that was he had no scent. Riley, her first turned and for all intents and purposes, _her love, _had come across the boy while hunting for blood, and had taken the initiative to turn him. He had been _highly _rewarded for that.

"Report."

"Three of the wolves, the Russet one, the black one, and the grey one, seem aware that something is happening, but they do not suspect us yet."

The longer that they were unaware of the plan, the better. She would avenge her James, and make that bitch pay. She nodded sharply, looking over her drilling army, who were engaging in hand to hand combat and various drills.

"Powers?"

"Other then the female, none of them seem to have any powers. I await more reconnaissance, Mistress."

He was too valuable to lose, and so she restrained herself from giving him a lashing. Nodding stiffly, she planned out more strategies in her head, which was going a mile a minute.

"Find out who's family is who. Return with the information- _strictly _reconnaissance only."

He bowed, before disappearing. Watching over her army once again, Riley flitted to her side. _Yes. _She smiled, her predator-like grin shining in the light. _This will be fun._

* * *

Author's Note

Hello all! I'm on holiday now so I've got time to dedicate to writing. It'll probably be my last proper holiday before exams, because of prelim revision taking up most of the Winter Holidays, and actual Exam Revision taking up the Easter Holidays.

Anyway, I'm actually in the middle of playing video games with my friends, so I really need to wrap this up, because idk what time it will finish. So I hope everyone has a nice week, and are enjoying themselves, regardless of what they are doing.

QOTW: What is your favourite thing to do with friends? I love playing football with my friends, but also Quadbiking and gaming. Simple pleasures. What about you guys?

Right, I'll see you all next week for another instalment of Bloodmoon!

~Cait


	29. Chapter 29 - Welcome to the Jungle

Welcome to the jungle, it gets worse here every day  
You learn to live like an animal in the jungle where we play  
If you got hunger for what you see, you'll take it eventually  
You can have everything you want but you better not take it from me

In the jungle, welcome to the jungle  
Watch it bring you to your n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n knees, knees  
Uh ah, I'm gonna watch you bleed

You know where you are?  
You're in the jungle baby  
You're gonna die  
In the jungle, welcome to the jungle

Welcome to the Jungle, by Guns N' Roses, from the album Appetite for Destruction, released in 1987

* * *

I wish I could say that the incident had only happened once since. I really wish I could. But no, ever since that night, Bella had been caught up in nightmares more often then I had slept. Roughly five out of seven days a week, with multiple nightmares a night, that meant that not only was Bella not getting any good sleep, but I wasn't getting any.

You might ask, well, what happened to the other two nights where she wasn't having a nightmare. Well, I had to patrol the other two nights. So I was dead on my feet, not that Bella needed to know that. So far, we had managed to conceal our now deceased (again) visitor's presence from Bella, and while we hadn't found out anything about the red-headed Leech, we were training harder then we had ever done before, driven by the point of protecting our Imprints and family.

It was difficult keeping it from her, and there were a few close calls, I was confident that she was in the dark.

"Jake!"

I was called from downstairs, a sort of whisper-shout that I could hear, but wasn't loud enough to disturb the lightly sleeping Bella. Watching her briefly, I turned and walked down the stairs, afraid to even walk in-case I woke her. She needed as much sleep as she could get. With her appetite having increased minutely, her superficial wounds had healed, with her more serious ones taking more time to heal. More time then they were taking already.

Poking my head through the door, I saw Charlie, Dad, and Harry sitting round in the living room area, which wasn't all that unusual. They did have things to do outside of pack business. Still, I came in, where he passed me a newspaper. Nothing abnormal there. A niggling thought of mine was panicky for a brief second, thinking that we'd somehow slipped up, been discovered, or there was a photo of one of us or something, but to be minutely, minutely relieved at what I saw.

Because while it was _bad, _it wasn't _as bad. _We could handle what he was bringing our attention to. Scanning the headline, it read out: '**Span of Missing People in Seattle and Surrounding Areas Increases as Police Left Baffled.' **Reading further down, with the three geezers watching me and my reaction, I couldn't help but pick out a few key facts which rang alarm bells like the sound of war in my head.

'_The missing people- assumed kidnapped by local law enforcement- seem to range from the ages of sixteen to thirty. After being kidnapped there was no __leads relating to the whereabouts of them__, and according to Seattle Police, there is a believed connection with the increased murder rates of a murderer nicknamed 'The Vampire', in which the bodies are left drained of all blood..'_

The Police, it sounded like, were more accurate then they believed with their nickname. Because while it could just be a murderer who had habits like a Leech, the missing people and the left behind, blood drained bodies, lead to one thing in my mind. One thing for definite. And judging by the looks on their faces, I would wager we had the same idea in mind. And if it was what I thought it was.. well, we were going to need an army.

"_**We need to prepare more. We have reason to believe that the Leech Victoria, has been recruiting an army in Seattle. With our current pack, even including Bella, who is unlikely to be in a good fighting condition, we are severely outnumbered."**_

At the minute, I was acting Alpha, because we hadn't arranged the formal transferral of power that would go with me taking my role. We were gathered in a local clearing, with the exception of Bella, as we paced around, trying to formulate a game plan. I kept up my confident facade, as the majority of the pack had bristled fur and bared teeth.

"_**What do you propose we do?"**_

That came from Sam, who had taken the loss of Alpha- well, had taken being overruled- surprisingly well, asked, being largely strategical in his way of thinking. That was what we were going to need in order to win this upcoming war.. but I was prepared to acknowledge that we might have casualties, no matter how much I wanted to deny it.

"_**We need to contact the other shifters."**_

Nobody argued my point, and I hoped it wasn't due to me acting like an Alpha. I didn't want to be treated any differently just because I had that power now. Instinctively, I knew this was our best course of action, presumably due to that finicky power that I hadn't even known I had until a few days ago.

"_**I know someone in the Cougar pack."**_

Embry offered up, much to all of our surprise. I turned to look at him in surprise, where he shyly shrugged as a way of explanation. Flicking his ears, and looking somewhat uncomfortable at all of the attention he was receiving, he explained how he knew someone in that pack, considering we had never really associated with them.

"_**Y'know what my Ma's like. Travelling. I went with her- remember when I had to take a break because she dragged me across the country when she went to see her cousin?"**_

I did remember that, yes. Because while we had been okay with it- what could you do if your Mom was dragging you around, and she didn't know of your importance in the pack- Embry had been annoyed at his Mom for days. It was one of the few times I had ever seen him angry, because he was usually such a calm person, not easily agitated.

"_**I met her cousin's husband's kid up there who was one of the shifters. I'll give him a call, see what he can do. What should I tell them?"**_

"_**Tell them everything. And I mean, everything. We can't get them to trust us if we lie."**_

Embry nodded, before turning and disappearing, presumably to give them a phone call. Even if they allied with us, we were going to need a lot more people, especially if you considered the fact that over_ two hundred and thirty _people, collectively, had gone missing in Seattle and the surrounding areas. Total.

And we had no idea how many of those people were Leeches, and how many had just been runaways. And, we didn't know if she'd taken anyone else from outside that area. There were far too many unknown variables, and I didn't like it.

"_**Does anyone else know any other packs?"**_

"_**I know a few. Lions. Some more wolves. Elephants, believe me or not. I travelled a lot, so I know a lot of packs. A lot of them live remotely, so I will need to go find them myself."**_

I decided not to be surprised over the fact that Shadow knew so many packs. I doubly decided not to be surprised over the fact there were elephant shifters- how on earth did _that _work- and just decided to accept it. I knew one thing for certain, and that was that Shadow was not a liar. Evasive, yes, but not outright a liar. And we needed as much help as we could get if her army was as big as we speculated.

"_**I'd appreciate that."**_

Before I could ask if he needed money to fund for a plane trip- which, unless he could teleport he would likely need- Shadow disappeared into the ground in that way that he did. I could still feel his connection in the pack mind, but it was muted and quiet. Every month, each member tended to put some money into our collective fund, so that we always had money to pay for things like trips or food.

We didn't enforce it, mostly because some of us were too young to actually have jobs, but everybody, even Seth, Colin, and Brady did. Shrugging his disappearance off, I looked over my pack, silently reaching out for where Bella's mind would be, but finding a brick wall.

That meant that she was either still asleep, or lying on her bed, unable to wrap her shield around us. I'd have to tell her eventually… there was no feasible way I could hide the arrival of all of the packs, assuming they came to our aid.

"_**I know the Alpha of the Alaskan pack. Went up there when I first phased, came across the Alpha while panicking. He showed me the ropes."**_

"_**If everyone gets into contact with the packs they know, while the others train. We'll prepare the transferral of power for tomorrow.. whilst I explain to my Imprint why we've got a lot of Pack's incoming and why I kept the intruder from her."**_

The whole Pack flinched as I said that, and Sam looked at me with pity. You know it wasn't going to go well, I just hoped that Bella would maul me.. I was really hoping that she'd understand I did it for her benefit, and not because I was being deceitful.

"_**Good luck Jake."**_

"_**Yeah... I'm going to need a lot of it. And it's something I don't have in excess."**_

* * *

It took me three days to muster up the courage to bring the topic up. I couldn't stretch the time out too far, but I waited for more of an improvement on Bella's part before I brought it up. But bring it up I did. I had just gotten back to my house after a day of training, when I saw that Bella was sitting, downstairs for once. She looked to be having a one sided conversation with Harry, who was talking animatedly about Quiluette legends.

They were always fun to listen to, even some of the more outlandish ones that seemed like something out of someone's drug addled story. But it was our history, and now Bella's. With her being in a good mood, I was extremely hesitant to interrupt it. I stalle- I mean, I went to get a drink, as I waited for Harry to finish his latest regaling tale. From what I could hear, it _was _one of the more outlandish ones.

I swear I heard Medieval England in there somewhere, along with King something or other. How England came into it, I will never know. It certainly wasn't one of the stories I recognised. Taking a drink of water, I settled down into the sofa, as Bella subconsciously moved so that she was next to me, still enraptured in what Harry was saying. We stayed like that for five minutes, before Harry lowered his voice, finishing the story with little fanfare.

"And that's how we had an ancestral lineage in England."

Well that was interesting. Bella nodded, moving from her position next to me to headbutt Harry's leg. She'd been spending a lot of time with Harry as of late, and I think it had something to do with how my Dad was always out doing Chief stuff, and Charlie was out working as Chief.

Ironic how me and Bella were imprints, and our father's both had the title of Chief. It was something I'd never really noticed before. Harry stood up, ruffling Bella's head as he made his way to the door, waving goodbye with an absent wave of the hand.

"I'll see you later Bella."

She barked, and we could both hear the front door shut, a noise that wasn't particularly loud. Placing my drink down on the table, I scratched Bella's muzzle as she looked at me, very amused. She wouldn't be amused for long.

_Why the long face?_

I rubbed my eyes before forcing them violently awake again. I stretched my fingers out, cracking my knuckles and forcing myself to _watch my words. _If I didn't tell this the right way.. I'd either have a pissed off Bella, a Bella who decided to take on the world, or a Bella who would be easy pickings for any lingering Leeches. The last thing Bella's health and recovery needed was to be kidnapped again..

I had no doubt in her normal abilities.. that is, when she was healthy- but realistically, she had no chance. There was still a distinct gait when she walked, her tail was low and crooked when wagged, and her formerly perfect coat was littered by scars. That made no difference to me, but I knew Bella was a little self-conscious about it.

She was still dangerously underweight- not as bad as she had been, but still not healthy- and she couldn't walk for long periods of time, nor run. Jumping was out of the question, because it put pressure on her spine and paws, but at least she wasn't swaddled in bandages any more. If that could be labelled as an improvement.

"There's something I need to tell you.."

She turned her head in curiosity, watching me with her chocolate eyes. Ears perking, she watched me curiously, but with an undercurrent of anxiety. I didn't blame her for that anxiety.. I just hoped she'd.. not run off or try to fight someone. Whether that happened or not though.. well, that was up to Bella.

* * *

Shadow's POV

Moon-turn had broken. The long days of travelling taking their toll on me. Snow hung limply to my long haired fur, but the fur did its job and kept me warm. Grass-Grazers had fallen to my claws, the contents of their meat fuelling my strength to carry on. It had been a long time since I had seen them, something that I hadn't attempted to rectify, much to my chagrin.

It was nice to have some time away from Curved and Strawberry's pack. My time with the pack had not been as worrying as I had originally anticipated, and I found myself enjoying the wolves' company, even if they were human borns. My secret- oh so close to being uncovered- was still firmly secure in my maw, but it would revealed soon.

I know some of the pack still think I am a pup- and treat me as such- and that amuses me gratefully, as I was in reality, older then they could anticipate. Even I forgot how long it had been.. At first I had been worried when I murmured the words of my Mama to Strawberry, waiting with bated breath for that flicker of recognition, or the questions that would no doubt follow. But there were none, leaving me to reveal my secret for when I was ready.

They were my last stop for this trip before I returned to Curved's pack, bringing the aid I knew we would need for the upcoming war. Bella had many traits that had been in my Mama, and it brought some nostalgia to see them coming to life. I finally approached the entrance to the burrow that I knew so well, anticipating to be greeted. I was not surprised when I was suddenly greeted by a pyre of red-hot, circling violently round me, and thawing the snow that surrounded me.

Balls of sunlight in its own intensity dangled around me, reminding me of the crests in the sky that housed the fallen wolves. The air around me scratched and snapped at me, with the snow reforming suddenly around my paws, decorating with a dusting of powder. Sparks of the stinging-yellow danced around me, as a wolf-shaped figure moved through the fire, fur hardened and rock-like with an impenetrable shine to it.

My own powers reached out to greet him, and with them coming into contact, the red-hot and everything else disappeared abruptly, leaving me wide open for a pounce attack. If you have never had a dozen fully grown wolves clamber over you, believe you me that it can be quite uncomfortable. Still, I licked all of them that I could get to as they nuzzled me, clinging to me happily.

There was one thing in common that came out here, and that was what they were chorusing. That, and their relation to me, and part of my secret.

"_**Papa!"**_

* * *

Victoria's POV

This was a job she wanted to do herself, as part of her revenge plan. She took every precaution necessary, choosing a rainy day so her scent was washed away, remaining downwind, and staying as far away from the Mutt's territory as humanly possible. Heh. Humanly.

Her scout had told her that they were mostly in the forest during the day hours, but that there were several wolves patrolling at any one time. The Bitch had been spending a lot of time with her father as of late- presumably due to the severe injuries that the fool Cullen had inflicted. He'd been much more.. _bloodthirsty _then she had anticipated, and she would have been a fool not to use that to her advantage.

But now he was a loose end.. one she would wrap up at some point. Sticking to the shadows as she witnessed the man she was after leave the male Mutt's house, his stink surrounding the property and acting as a deterrent. Watching him move forwards, a distance away from the house he had just exited, she crouched down, and ran to the man, grabbing his body with ease.

Her hand curled around his mouth to prevent him from screaming, as she retreated back to a safe distance, his struggles being harmless against her granite skin. Drawing her fangs, she smiled, baring them and pressing them to his neck tauntingly, not quite breaking the skin.

"You."

He practically growled, still trying to break free. There was no fear coming from the man, but there was no resignation either. He tilted his chin up as she looked at him with anger. How dare he not react to her. She snarled quietly, hoping to scare him, but there was nothing. Just anger.

"You may do to me what you like, but the wolves will kill you for what you did to Bella."

"I look forward to it."

There was the sounds of barking from nearby, and Victoria knew that they had gotten wind of her scent somehow. Her plan would not proceed if she was killed at the hands of those Mutts. Muttering about the waste of good blood, she twisted his neck to the side, the crack cutting through the silence. Without looking back, she fled, heading back to her awaiting army and preparing to execute the next phase of the plan while the Mutts were too busy mourning. Whoever said vengeance wasn't sweet?

* * *

Notes for Shadow's Terminology

Moon-turn – Night

Grass-Grazers – Deer

Curved & Strawberry – Jacob & Bella

red-hot – Fire

Crests in the sky – Stars

Stinging-Yellow – Electricity

* * *

Author's Note

Hello everyone! How are you all?

I've been busy this week, preparing for school (which starts again on Monday :o), helping my mum redecorate (I _hate _painting) and meeting some of my old friends who I haven't talked to in a while.

I'm going out to see Joker tomorrow- my first ever time seeing a DC movie in a cinema- with my friend, and I'm going for a walk with my other friend either the Saturday or Sunday.

Anyway, time for the question of the week. If you could change something in today's society, what would you change?

I'd change the stigma surrounding boys and girls. A girl- to most people- cannot be friends with a boy without being in a relationship. I don't know if that's just where I live, or what, but it's a stigma that makes my life incredibly awkward.

Anyway, I've got to go, but before I do: Thanks for every review, follow, favourite, or any other words of encouragement. I really, really appreciate it!

See you all next time!

~Cait

**Edit Note: 27/10/19 - Changed 'Siberian' Pack to 'Alaskan'. I have no clue why I said Siberian when I meant to say Alaskan. Doesn't make any logical sense for Sam to go to Siberia.**


	30. Chapter 30 – Tragedy

Tragedy  
When the feeling's gone and you can't go on  
It's tragedy  
When the morning cries and you don't know why  
It's hard to bear  
With no one to love you  
You're goin' nowhere  
Tragedy  
When you lose control and you got no soul  
It's tragedy  
When the morning cries and you don't know why  
It's hard to bear  
With no one beside you  
You're goin' nowhere

Night and day  
There's a burning down inside of me  
Burning love  
With a yearning that won't let me be  
Down I go  
And I just can't take it all alone  
I really should be holding you  
Holding you  
Loving you, loving you

Tragedy, by the Bee Gees, from the album Spirits Having Flown, released in 1979

* * *

We held a vigil, waiting patiently for the shifter community to come to our aid. We thought, perhaps foolishly, that while we were waiting for the waging of a war, all of the humans would be safe. We continued patrolling, our habits, continuing training and recovering. But even then, it didn't matter. She still slipped through our defences like it was nothing. Like we weren't trying at all. And because of it, we lost someone.

Anger coursed through our bodies just as much as the sadness that was now inhibiting us. And we all thought along the same lines- we failed. It was our fault. If we'd been better, more vigilant, become better protectors, if we had taken care of that _Bitch of a Leech _when we had the chance and hadn't let her escape, then Seth and Leah wouldn't be missing a father. Sue wouldn't be missing a husband. Charlie and Dad wouldn't be missing a brother. I wouldn't be missing someone who was like an Uncle to me.

The worst thing about the whole situation.. was who found him. Who found Harry's form, limp and chest still. Neck staring off into the distance, eyes open, fearless until the end. Bella found him. We were... taking a break. Off the back of what I had been telling her, off of all the secrets I had been hiding from her. I couldn't blame her. Despite this break, we were both going to ascend to Alpha and Alpha Female tomorrow. It was planned, date set, location set, and power transferral sorted.

Our bond was still strong but we had blocked it in a mutual decision to have some time apart. So, I had been surprised when not long after our argument, it rammed open quickly and abruptly, and it was like having a door slammed in your face. It hurt. What hurt, even more, was the yelling that reverberated through the pack time, and the panic that accompanied it.

I tried to cover my ears in an attempt to not go deaf, but my ears were ringing as a headache began to form. Knowing that Bella would never do that no matter how mad she was at me, I sprinted out of the forest, flanked by Embry and Quil who joined me as I hurtled towards where I could make her scent out to be.

Her thoughts that were like torrents bounced off the edges of the pack mind, with her voice having that dual undertone that she adopted when her wolf became almost synchronised with her.

"_**Harry… no… Leech… death… kill… vengeance… pack… help.."**_

That hadn't been worrying at all. Please note my sarcasm. With our pack mind being assaulted, a piercing and mournful howl had cut through into the air, sad and angry and melancholy. It wasn't until later that I learned it had come from Bella. I'd never heard such a sound coming from her before.. but there was a first time for everything. And that was it.

* * *

Bella had been despondent since. Not talking. Mute, unresponsive, and altogether more like a statue than a person. I'd never seen her like this._ Ever._ At first, I thought that perhaps she hadn't wanted to speak to me, so three other people: Leah, Sam, and Paul, each grieving in their own ways, went up to try and elicit a response. But they didn't get anything out of her either.

She'd just completely shut down. I was struggling myself, as much as I hated to admit it. Trying to remain strong while also trying to mourn was no easy task. Some might think it's even impossible. But I had to. My Pack couldn't fall under the pressure, under the strain, because it wasn't just La Push at sake. It wasn't just our Pack at sake. It was the innocent people that were at stake, those who couldn't defend themselves.

We'd eventually been forced to leave her alone, informing Charlie with sorrowful faces, as he immediately rushed to both Bella's side and my fathers. Seth and Leah were spending with Sue.. something I couldn't begrudge them. They needed to be with their Mom. I found myself waiting for our first arrivals: the Alaskan Bears that Sam had met.

Since they were closest, and the easiest to reach by contact, they had sent word ahead and were due.. well... any time now. And since I was acting Alpha, I was the one to greet them. It wasn't like any of the others were in the mood to play meet and greet. At the very least, Sam and Embry were waiting with me, although we were all in awkward silence.

Shaking off the leaf that landed on my fur, I watched as a large number of animals approached. From what it looked like, there were about six of them that I could see. I walked out, separating myself from the rest of the pack, and as tradition, so did the Leader of the bear Pack.

I could tell that they were Alpha because they excluded that certain air of power that all Alphas did. I bowed my head in greeting, and as he did the same, our pack mind pushed to merge with theirs. They met, but then had sort of melded together simply.

"_**Greetings, Alpha of the Alaskan Bear Pack."**_

"_**Hello, Alpha of the Quileute Wolves."**_

I cleared my throat, almost choking as I swallowed some saliva. As I looked over his Pack, he looked over mine appraisingly. It was odd, with the two of our species interacting like this. As far as I knew, this had never happened before. Our speech in the pack mind was peculiar- ours tended to sound a little growly, or barky, whereas the bears were gruffer. It made me curious about what other animal shifters sounded like.

"_**My name is Kenai."**_

He pointed to himself. It was easy to see that he was the largest in terms of size, and he had bright brown fur, like the traditional bears you would see on tv and movies. He worked his way through his pack- do bears call themselves packs? What was a group of bears called?- and listed off their names, starting from the far left and moving across.

"_**That is Koda. He's the uuman to Winnie, who is the golden furred bear to his right."**_

Koda had deep brown fur, a darker than wood colour. He had a scar skirting his muzzle, which while healed, looked deep, like a gouge. As Kenai said, Winnie did have golden fur, bright and breezier then I would have ever imagined a bear could possess. It looked pretty, and she was quite a bit bigger then Koda.

Nodding, I bid them a silent hello, as they watched passively behind their Alpha. The bears were no doubt more powerful then we were, but we had speed on our side. Then again, I had no idea how fast they were or weren't. I also had no clue what an 'uuman' was, but I'd wager it was something like an Imprint.

"_**We are soulmates. I imagine if that is what your Imprint is, then it is your equivalent to our Uuman. It means heart."**_

Winnie explained, stepping forward a little before moving back in line. I nodded in understanding, before turning to face Kenai yet again. He shuffled from paw to paw as Winnie spoke, perhaps trying to make himself comfortable, before settling back down again.

"_**Iorek and Søren are twins and are the pure white bears you see in the middle. Lastly, there is Ben, the pure brown bear, and my very own uuman."**_

I nodded again, before moving on to introduce my pack. I felt like I should explain why the entirety of my pack wasn't here.. as much as I wanted to keep what happened a secret. Rubbing my eyes and yawning, swaying lightly on my feet. I was exhausted but I didn't have time to rest yet.

"_**My name is Jacob. I have an imprint called Bella, and she is the Alpha Female of my Pack. Sam, my Beta, is the pure black wolf behind me on my left. He is imprinted to a woman called Emily, who is not a shifter. Embry is the other wolf, and he is currently not Imprinted. I would introduce you to all of my pack as we are much bigger than just those who are currently here, but we are in mourning. The Leech- the same one who is creating an army- got through our defences and killed one of our tribe elders."**_

Silently, I turned as the bears began to follow me. There were areas set for different groups of people, and we had used the little warning we had to erect small shelters, scattered throughout the forest. We'd been up most of the night building them, filling them with blankets and similar small necessities.

The one we'd set up for the bears were near several caves, and near the river, so they could fish to their heart's content. Plus there were several tinned foods in the cupboards of the shack, plus some food that Kim, Emily, and Claire had made.

"_**I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything we can do?"**_

"_**Not really. Other then training, your assistance here is appreciated."**_

I shook my head, coming to a stop outside the fairly large residence. Whilst the building itself was made of wooden, the structures within were lined with rugs, furniture and other items. To make it more hospitable, you see. Pointing to the small lodging, I shuffled myself again, thinking about Bella.

"_**Here's a place for you guys to lodge. I hope it's to your liking. There's a river near here, and a couple of caves, if you'd rather stay there. There's food in there, but also local shops that you can get resources from."**_

The bear pack split from us for now, nodding in thanks as Winnie phased before our eyes, and opened the door with a hand. It was odd to see someone of a different species phase: they rapidly lost bulk as fine furs grew across their skin, claws bursting their way out of the skin. When our ears grew, they were pointed, and grew tall outwards, whereas with the bears, they were wide but short. It.. didn't look real, to put it simply.

"_**Thank you."**_

Nodding, I turned away, Sam and Embry flanking me as I left the bears to get comfortable. Scratching my eye with my paw, I trudged along back to where the rest of the pack were training. Sam kept even strides with me, Embry lagging behind slowly.

The connection between the bears and I cut out rather abruptly, with me taking that to mean they had phased to human form. God, I hoped they weren't kids. I'd send them right back home again if they were because I wasn't having more children fighting Leeches who didn't care about killing.

"_**Jake"**_

Yawning, but trying and failing to hide it, I directed a silent what. Sam sounded concerned about something. Well, that was the impression I got. My house was in the distance, and the soft allure of my bed was extremely tempting. The softness of the pillow… the warmth of the duvet... I shook my head to clear the thoughts from my head. I had other things to do, and none of them involved rest.

"_**Maybe you should rest? You've been on your feet for days without proper rest."**_

I shrugged yet again. The gesture was quite repetitive at this point. It felt like I was repeating this every five minutes. Even if I could sleep, I'd just be woken up in a few hours by one of Bella's nightmares, or one of my own. I got her dreams as much as she got mine, even if I didn't want them. The same applied for nightmares. So, sleep wasn't easy for either of us. It wasn't worth even trying.

"_**I'm fine. Things to do and people to see. People to train, and people to greet."**_

"_**Are you sure? I think-"**_

I rudely cut off what Embry was going to say, even though he was likely bang on the money with his observation. You didn't know someone for years and then not be able to pick up on when they were lying to themselves or ill. Still, I couldn't leave everyone else to pick up the slack just because I needed a nap.

"_**I said I'm fine!"**_

I steered well aware from my house, intending on looking over the pack. Sam dropped back to talk to Embry a little bit while I sulked. Well, I wasn't sulking, but I could guarantee that's what they thought I was doing. I wasn't even Alpha yet and I was exhausted.. yet filled with a newfound respect for Sam.

Sam called out my name again, causing me to stop sharply and look at him with murder in my eyes. Restraining myself from showing my fangs was barely manageable, and my control on my temper was just about null and void.

"**Jacob. Go to bed."**

I cursed as my body turned away from the direction I was walking, and towards my house. I tried to shatter the injunction, but my wolf rudely shoved me out of the way violently, forcing me to take a back-seat. I physically couldn't control my own body, and snapping at my wolf did nothing but further anger me.

"**_I will make sure he sleeps Sam. He's not very happy."_**

My wolf had a smirk on my face, I could tell. And he was somewhat concerned and smug because as my body robotically moved towards my house, my wolf monologued like some kind of cliché movie villain.

_I understand that your 'break' with your Imprint is.. upsetting you. But to lead effectively, you must be well-rested, which you are not. And since you refuse to sleep of your own coalition, I am forced to make you._

The door was opened, and my body stepped through. The house was largely empty because Dad was no doubt with either Sue or Charlie, and Bella was.. with Charlie, I'd guess. Up the stairs I went, before my wolf phased back, carelessly getting under the duvets and wrapping me up tighter than a Christmas present.

_Now go to sleep. I'm not letting you take control until you sleep for a few hours._

Groaning, I reluctantly shut my eyes, and rolled around in my head, trying to get comfortable. And after a few minutes, I was blissfully asleep.

* * *

I woke up, finally back in control of my own body, and feeling oddly rested, despite the sleep being an uncomfortable and dreamless one. The alarm clock told me it was currently 9 AM the next morning- and nobody had come and woken me up. I'd slept for a total of 12 hours, and I lurched out of my bed, stomach rumbling something fierce. In true tired fashion, I fell flat on my face when I had leapt out, expecting to land on four feet, only to realise I currently had two.

In my haste to get up, I'd neglected to notice the absence of the Pack mind, but also neglected to notice the fact that there was no fur around my hand, and that they weren't paws. The impact was sore, and as I rubbed my face trying to alleviate it, I slowly got up into a human standing position, and reached out to my wardrobe for some clothes, considering I was still wearing my birthday suit.

Nobody wanted to see me like that if they could help it. After I was suitably dressed, my head having forgotten all pain, I walked down to the kitchen, hoping to find some food. Anything really would do. I was interrupted halfway down however, because I saw my father sitting in the living room, sitting and flipping through what looked to be a photo album.

There was a moral dilemma lingering in my mind- food, or father? I had hardly spent any time with him for a while now.. too busy doing Alpha preparation thing, managing this war that we had resting on our shoulders, and trying to protect everyone while also navigating the Imprint situation that I had. Still, it was no excuse, and I shouldn't have neglected him. Ignoring my rumbling stomach, I instead pivoted, heading towards where Dad was.

"Hey Dad"

I called out as he turned in his chair, facing me with somewhat of a sad look. Dammit, I hadn't been treating him well. I hadn't been treating anyone well lately: if this was what Alpha meant, then I didn't want it- not that I ever did in the first place. He turned away from me with barely a greeting, looking back at the book.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for the Alpha ceremony?"

I shrugged, looking over his shoulder at the book. There were several that I vaguely recalled, and others that I had never seen before in my life. One of the ones I recognised was of an eleven-year-old me, grinning with a gap tooth, looking far too tall for my age, even then. Next to me was Quil and Embry, with a young Seth in-between us, holding a soccer ball.

All four of us were caked in mud, and Dad was sat at the side, whilst Harry was next to him, arm wrapped around the handles of my Dad's chair. They both had marks of mud on their faces but were smiling wildly, looking like proud parents. As he flipped the page, there was a different picture that I didn't recognise, and it was much older.

There were two wolves, one the mirror image of me- although how much I couldn't tell because of the black and white thing- and one with a grey pelt, oddly reminiscent of Leah. Atop the two wolves, there was what I assumed to be, a young William Black and a young Harry Clearwater.

That would make the wolves my grandfather Ephraim, and Peter Clearwater, Harry's father. It was odd that there was a picture of that.. because as a general rule, we didn't take pictures of anything that could incriminate us. Still, I needed to reply to my father, because he was probably thinking I'd gone stupid.

"That's not until this afternoon. Sam's got things handled."

He looked at me with a look, before gesturing for me to take a seat. I did so, and he moved his chair so that he was closer to me, allowing me to see more of the photo album. He put his finger to one of the pictures, looking at it as if it held life's secrets.

"This is a picture of me and Harry when we were about five. We always used to pretend to be wolves."

And that was how I spent a couple of hours until I heard the news that another pack of shifters had arrived- this time the cougars. They were our second pack to arrive, but they weren't our last. Not by a long shot.

* * *

Notes

uuman – Heart in Iñupiat Eskimo

* * *

Author's Note

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

It's been a fun Halloween for me this year. Since my mum's friends here, I took her youngest out trick-o'-treating, and I got half of her sweets. Simple pleasures.

Of course, with them being here, it's been difficult to get time to write because the little girl very much likes me, so I spend a lot of time with her. I don't mind, of course, but it makes it a little difficult to write when she's stuck to my side like glue.

Anyway, here's a question of the week: What is everybody's favourite holiday? My favourite holiday is.. I guess either my birthday or easter, which are pretty close together. I don't mind Christmas, but I have a lot of negative things associated wit that day.

So, Easter, or my birthday, in which I get a lot of chocolate.

Anyway, I'm shattered so I'm going to take my leave.

See you all next time!

~Cait


	31. Chapter 31 - Someone You Loved

It's easy to say  
But it's never the same  
I guess I kinda liked the way you numbed all the pain

Now the day bleeds  
Into nightfall  
And you're not here  
To get me through it all  
I let my guard down  
And then you pulled the rug  
I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved

Someone You Loved, by Lewis Capaldi, from the album Breach, released in 2018

* * *

We were at the top of the cliffs. The sun was setting, the skies growing darker earlier and earlier as we progressed through the winter months. We were in our human forms for the beginning of the ceremony, wearing a traditional garb that had still been somewhat modernised. Wasn't that an oxymoron?

It was akin to a suit that I was wearing, with brown trousers that were filled with a few patches in subtle places. I was wearing a white shirt, with a deep brown overcoat over the top. Around my neck, there was a necklace, featuring a small wolf, a wolf fang rumoured to be from Taha Aki himself, and a symbol representing my birth in Quiluette culture.

My shoes were most definitely the most modern thing in my uniform, with them being simple brown leather boots that my father had loaned me. What this had to do with a ceremony I had no clue, but as I said way back then, we were sticklers for tradition. Bella was wearing something slightly different, a sweeping brown dress that was eerily akin to her brown eyes.

She was also wearing a necklace, hers being of the first female wolf's fang, a small wolf charm, and a Quiluette symbol that my dad had procured to represent her birth. I had forgotten to mention that Bella had managed to phase back into human form. However, the phase itself had caused her an incredible amount of pain- something I would rather not relive- and she couldn't alternate rapidly.

There would be no Alpha fight today for her, mainly because Emily wasn't a wolf, but also because Bella wasn't in fighting condition. She looked bruised and small in her human form, with several cuts still visible, including one that went from the bridge of her nose to the side of her cheek.

She was standing up under her own steam, but several others- including Charlie who was looking at her worriedly- were watching her in case she needed to be caught or the pain became too much. The Elders and Pack stood in a circle, Imprint to wolf, with my father taking his usual position with Sue to his right and Charlie, as Alpha Female's mother, to the left.

We were in the centre, staring into one another's eyes for a brief second before Bella turned away. Still, our hands linked, for once not in a romantic way but in a symbolism that signified the joining of two leaders of a pack. There was a lot of remorse surrounding the Pack nowadays, between Harry and my own and Bella's sorrow, it infected the mind like a poison, seeping into every corner.

It could weaken the pack. My father wheeled forwards, and the hushed chattering silenced immediately as Sam stepped forward, directly across from my father in the circle.

"We have come to bear witness to Jacob Ephraim Black and Isabella Marie Swan taking their places, as by birthright and bloodline, as the Alpha and Alpha Female of the La Push Pack. As we are following tradition, we must lay out the terms for leading such a pack, and they must recite an oath. Then, as customary, the current Alpha will duel the challenging Alpha. In the case where the Alpha Female, such as this one, has no wolf counterpart to challenge, then they must either ask for the permission of the current Alpha's Imprint, or have their current fight with the current Alpha Male."

It went quiet for a second, as I saw Bella's eyes narrow in what I hoped to be determination. Because I hoped it wasn't last-minute cold feet, in which case it would admittedly be a little upsetting but understandable. We looked at Dad as if he was an all-knowing deity, as he cleared his throat and began again, continuing with the ceremony.

"With taking leadership of the La Push Pack, you are aware that you are charged with the safety of not only the inhabitants of the Quileute Tribe, regardless of shifter or human, but also with the preservation of human life from any threats that may endanger it."

"I do."

Bella and I chorused at the same time, our eyes flickering to one another before turning our attention back to my father.

"And you will uphold this duty, through sickness and life, until you are physically no longer able to uphold the duty, and until the day where you give up your wolf. Even at risk to your own life, and to your packmates, you will uphold this duty, even if it means you must lay down your own life."

Again, we chorused the same thing together, still looking at my father, who marched on, his eyes staring unwaveringly into my own. There would be no bias here, regardless of whether he was my kin or not.

"Then, provided the challenge goes well or not, I will bless this ascension to your birthright, and will vocally record Jacob Ephraim Black and Isabella Marie Swan as Alphas, a position which they will remain providing nothing untoward happens. Now we just need them to recite this final phrase before the combat between lead wolf may begin."

"_I vow on my life to protect my pack, my people, and all of human life, for it is my duty and one I hearken to. My strength will uphold the Tribal Law, my leadership will guide us to safety, and my perseverance will take us through adversity. Such is my burden, which I accept as it is charged."_

My Quiluette was admittedly a little rusty. We didn't speak it very often after all, but it was a part of my roots, and I would never forget it, even if I hardly ever used it. Still, I think it came across as I intended.

I was curious as to how Bella would fare, considering that she didn't have the background I had. Hands tensing around Bella's, I turned to face her subtly as she began her version of the vow. I thought a lot of this stuff was unnecessary, but there was no point in arguing because I'd just prolong it.

"_I vow my life to protect my pack, my Imprint, and all of human life as though they are my kin, for is my accepted duty, and one I hearken to. I would happily lay down my life for kin and for Jacob, my Imprint, and this realisation is one I ultimately accept until I can no longer. The strength I have will supplement the Alpha's, and should his fall, I back him up. We stand united, not alone. This strength takes us through adversity, and as it is my burden, I accept it as charged."_

Her language skills were fairly decent, discounting a few errors here and there. I hardly blamed her because Quiluette was a hard language to learn, and adding to the fact, it was dying, so there weren't many online resources. My father nodded, and Sam stepped forward, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.

I excused myself quickly, disconnect my hand from Bella's before turning away into the forest, getting out of the ceremonial outfit. I highly doubted that they wanted me to tear it. It was a quick affair, and I folded them up neatly on a small blanket, so they wouldn't get muddy.

Then, I phased quickly, shifting over and allowing my wolf to come to my side, as we worked together as one. He had the experience, but I had knowledge. Then, I strutted out, blinking and walking quietly towards Sam, who had phased and returned in the time it had taken me.

The pack had made an even smaller circle with various stones and rocks, which meant that there wasn't much space to run away or evade over long distances.

"Now, we must lay down the base rules for this duel. Despite your alter-egos, we are not animals, and as such there will be no serious injuries. The fight will continue until one admits defeat or is pinned on the ground for fifteen seconds. Serious injuries include neck throttling, stomach tearing, breaking limbs, or breaking spines. Do both sides agree to these rules?"

Bella had moved back into the circle, sitting next to Charlie, still dressed in her ceremonial gear. Charlie's looks between the two of us didn't go unnoticed by me, but whatever he was thinking went unknown to the two of us. Me and Sam barked in agreement while we nodded our heads, circling one another while crouching, baring our teeth mockingly, yet with some real venom behind it.

"May the fight begin."

Sam lunged forward first, testing the waters with outstretched fangs and flying globs of spit. The pack and Elders hushed as I followed my instincts and leapt to the side, backing away and putting more distance between me and the black wolf that was Sam. He turned quickly, barely allowing me to analyse his weak spots in his strategy.

My wolf was quietly analysing every move of Sam's as we circled one another once again. I decided to test the waters myself this time, suddenly moving to the side with a burst of speed, and rounding on his exposed flank.

My wolf suddenly and sharply pulled back, and rather then fighting it, I went limp, allowing him to take control. It caused me to narrowly miss a side swipe by Sam, which would have scratched my muzzle viciously, and would have scraped all along my side.

* * *

Sam, by no means, was an easy person to beat in a fight. Never was, and never would be. Even though I was roughly about the same height, Sam had the experience, considering he was first shifted. And although he had trained me, and the following members of the pack, there was a noticeable difference in our fighting styles.

You couldn't learn how to fight without making it your own. I growled lowly as my wolf shifted over in my mind, allowing me to get partial control. I trusted him implicitly, and he trusted me, and because of that, I had confidence that we could give as good as we got.

Sam followed forwards with another strike, this time lunging for my leg. It was a smart strategy, for obvious reasons. To put it simply, the injured leg is equivalent to slow movement. Safe to say, I was avoiding his fangs at all costs.

_You are quick, but even if you dodge, he can quickly alter his course. My advice would be to balance on your hind legs at last minute, and then slam your paws on his bag and dig them in._

Taking the ancient wolf spirit's advice, I feigned meeting him head-on, so Sam wouldn't abort the attack and watched anxiously as he pounced. Following my wolf's advice, I reared back, my claws evident as Sam lunged towards my paw, trying to correct his course. I slammed down on his back, throwing all of my weight onto his spine and digging in my claws hard enough to draw blood.

I hadn't come away unscathed from the manoeuvre though, because I hadn't been quick enough, causing Sam to get a partial bite on my right leg. It wasn't deep, nor was it oozing blood or anything like that, but it was a little sore.

_No! Don't throw your weight-_

I learned why he had advised against throwing my weight because while Sam had buckled under the bodyweight of a giant wolf, he had access to both my jugular and my stomach, two very soft areas that I'd rather avoid. Seeing I was rather limited, I moved forwards and bit into his back, digging my teeth in sharply in an attempt to gain grip.

Sam lunged forwards and channelling my inner gymnast, I bounced up on my hind legs, throwing my body in the air. It prevented Sam from getting me in a death grip, but his teeth wrapped around my leg, and pulled with his teeth, yanking me down into the ground. I yelped in alarm through my teeth but kept my grip on Sam's back as he threw me down.

When I went down, I used all my strength to pull Sam down with me, which only barely worked. I rolled away to the side as Sam buckled, rolling neatly onto my legs, raising my bad leg off the ground in an attempt to reduce the pain. Every time I tapped it down, or even put pressure on it, it ached and bled to no extent. Sam returned to his paws, looking none the worse for wear if you discounted the gouge marks on his back and the bite on his back.

From that moment on, any niceties were abandoned as we began to fight like actual wolves, and I think both of us became more concerned with winning then the intent not to injure. We bit, we lunged, we snapped, whined, snarled, yanked, twisted, slammed one another on the floor, you name it we probably did it. We were sporting several bruises and wounds, from landed hits and counter-attacks alike, and neither of us looked better off then the other.

In the end, we had to be forcibly separated by Jared and Paul grabbing our scruffs and pulling us away from one another. Of course, we were completely blind-sided by tunnel vision, and all we were concentrating on was the Alpha position. We just kept trying to lunge forwards at one another. I snarled, taunting Sam who just tried to escape his captor, and poor Jared being tugged along for the ride despite digging his heels in.

Eventually, whether it was intentional or not, we were released, and we promptly went after one another once again. It didn't matter to us that we were pack-mates or friends, but what did matter was our Alpha position. I could bore you with the whole details of the fight, but we would be here for a while.

What should have been a relatively simple fight turned into one of endurance, with me eventually becoming the victor, but only just. Our legs were shaking with exertion, blood seeped into our coats, and we were both just about ready to collapse. All it took to end such a dramatic and prolonged fight was a simple bite to the back of the neck, and a throw.

I pounced on him, and he bared his throat in submission, simply no longer able to go on. Wasn't that ironic?

"I now pronounce Jacob Ephraim Black the Alpha of the Quiluette Pack, and with that, his Imprint Isabella Marie Swan as Alpha Female. Long may their reign continue!"

I wish I could say the whole thing invested some power in me or something. In reality, it didn't do much. I grew a little more, nothing too drastic, but there was now a definite difference when compared to me and Sam. My injunctions- the one I had practised with Quil as a crash test dummy- seemed more difficult to break now, a firmer resolve dare I say it.

Poor Quil had been told to sit for five minutes as he practically wrestled with the command. He could use loopholes, especially if I wasn't clear, but he couldn't outwardly break it. I think the only person who could, would be Bella. I had no idea if Bella benefited from the same things- I couldn't imagine her being too upset over the height increase- considering she was just staying in human form, enjoying her opposable thumbs.

I had phased back and gotten rechanged into the tribal gear, and moved towards Bella. It was customary for the Alpha Couple to dance to some old Quiluette tune that was rarely ever heard. Admittedly, I was a little unsure of how Bella would manage, but I was determined to try anyway.

"Would you like a dance, Bella?"

She chewed her lip, looking down at herself quickly. Her big brown eyes softened a little, before shaking her head as if to clear them. It was nice to see Bella like this. While her wolf form was just as beautiful as her human form, I did happen to have a preference for her human form. It was the one I'd admired as I'd grown up after all- from little pale and shy Bella, to taller, less pale and a little more confident Bella.

It was a transition, and despite all the hardship that came with it, it was overall a positive one. She bobbed her head a little, and I offered my hand to her, which she accepted. As the music changed to a slower one, with various flutes and fiddles and other instruments playing, I put my left hand on Bella's shoulder, while taking her left hand and holding it out to the side.

Her right hand nestled around my waist as we moved forward to the beat of the music. I couldn't help but hum while we danced. Once we'd moved for six beats, I span her around before joining back together, side-stepping smoothly in time to the music. For someone who deemed herself ungraceful, Bella was not a bad dancer at all.

"So how are you?"

Immediately I wanted to punch myself: what kind of a question was that? Still, I concentrated on the dance, avoiding straying feet, and thinking about the arrival of the other Packs. With the Bears and the Cougars here and settled, and Shadow sending word he was due back within the next few days, we were awaiting several more from places all over the world. I just hoped we had enough time to train and organise strategies.

"I'm okay.. sore and stiff.. but I'm alright."

She smiled a little, a grin that I was happy was resting on her face. We lapsed back into an awkward silence, continuing to dance even as the music changed. She buried her face into the crook of my neck briefly, relaxing ever so slightly as she inhaled my scent. She pushed away a little as Sam came over, his arm hooked around Emily's, but our arms became linked.

He looked a little bit bruised, and there was a cut on his cheek, but otherwise, he looked alright considering we had been fighting just a half-hour before. Sam dipped his head.

"I hope you two are enjoying yourselves. I have some news- the Elephant Pack has arrived- just three of them though. They are requesting your presence. Some more news- we received a message from Shadow. Their ETA is at noon tomorrow. According to him, he has some of his friends en-route as well."

I nodded, before turning to Bella. I held her hand still as I looked at Sam, who had a small smirk on his face as Emily looked over the two of us with a fond expression on her face.

"Thanks, Sam."

I turned to Bella, who looked deep in thought for a minute before looking at Emily again. There was a flicker of sadness, accompanied by a brief downturn of a smile, which quickly shifted into a more neutral look.

"I guess we'd better go see them then."

* * *

Author's Note

I apologise in advance for anyone who I told that Harry's funeral was this chapter. I got a little sidetracked doing the Alpha ceremony, and failing spectacularly to describe a fight.

On another note, I'm uploading this while I am babysitting. And since they are due back any time soon, and I need to put the kid to bed, I'll keep this short and snappy.

QOTW: What is something that you are competitive at?

I'm super competitive at football (soccer), because I love the sport so much. I play right-back (defence) and it is my favourite sport of all time.

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all next time!

_Oh also, the italics in the story were meant to have been said in Quileute. There were no dictionaries or translators I could use, so please use your imagination there._

~A tired bookworm


	32. Chapter 32 - Touch the Sky

When the cold wind is a'calling  
And the sky is clear and bright  
Misty mountains sing and beckon  
Lead me out into the light

I will ride, I will fly  
Chase the wind and touch the sky I will fly  
Chase the wind and touch the sky

Where dark roots hide secrets  
And mountains are fierce and bold  
Deep waters hold reflections  
Of times lost long ago

I will read every story  
Take hold of my own dream  
Be as strong as the seas are stormy  
And proud as an eagle's scream

Touch the Sky, by Judy Fowlis, from the album Brave, released in 2012

* * *

We were pretty far north. The meeting point was just beyond the river, where the border of snow met with the luscious grass. The weather, despite everything, was holding up, even if the sky was a blanket of grey that looked tumultuous at best. I was taking the role of Alpha to heart, even if it had cost me a lot.

Although perhaps I had caused myself to lose a lot of what I held dear, through lying and keeping things from Bella in an attempt to protect her, like I failed to do before. Shaking my head, I watched in wariness as three people walked through the trees, dressed in ragged like clothing, a contrast to me and Bella: we had hastily changed after the completion of the ceremony.

We stepped forwards as they did, and I, as well as who I assumed to be the Alpha, stretched our hands out, shaking them firmly in a sign of union. Bowing my head in recognition and civility, Bella echoed my movement, standing strong by my side. There were no visible signs of the discord and stride between us, and to everyone outside the know, we were a joined and united ruling couple, where that was so rare.

"_Hello. _We hail from Africa. Shadow tells us you are in need of aid, that one of the laws have been broken?"

His English, although heavily accented, was fairly understandable. And if there was a language barrier, then we would just have to communicate using that Alpha to Alpha bond that we could do. Although I was curious about the 'laws' thing, considering that we had no knowledge about them.

Sure, I had mentioned _unspoken _laws, but that was more of a fact than something we actually had to obey. Loyalty meant a lot to us, as you could no doubt guess. Bella stepped forward, addressing the assumed Alpha... Leader?.. of the... Pack? Tribe? Of elephants. There was none of her normal timidness, in fact, most of her feelings were invisible behind her facade, her portrayal of a strong and independent Alpha Female.

"It is nice to meet you. As you stated, we are indeed in need of aid. I am afraid that our knowledge about the shifter laws is rather impertinent, but myself was taken and severely injured by one of the blood-drinkers. They also murdered an elder of our tribe, who we are still mourning for."

The formal and respectful tone was one that surprised me quite a bit when it came out of her mouth, and a part of it made me uncomfortable. It was foreign to me to hear her speak so stiffly- cold, I was familiar with, but not the formal and almost weird tone that she spoke with now. I wished she went back to speaking normally.

The leader, grey with age, skin tight over his skeleton, nodded slowly, a rueful smile on his face as he looked over the two of us. He turned over his shoulder, and said something in Afrikaans, before turning to face us once again.

"I forget that the laws are seldom heard of now. It has been a long time since I have been near tribes outside of our own."

He nodded his head, murmuring something again in Afrikaans. This gave me time to look at the other two people who were with him. One was young, looking about mid-thirties with dreadlocked hair, very much a stereotype. On his cheek, there was a star, painted in a vibrant red that another part of my mind wanted to describe as 'painted red with the blood of his enemies'.

I highly doubted that was what it was though, because that would be pretty dark. The woman was definitely significantly younger, looking more about the early twenties. Of course, as per our usual ageing rules, we had no idea how old they were, other than their physical appearance which didn't tell us much at all.

"These are my son-in-law and my granddaughter: Hanno & Kandula. They have come for their rite-of-age."

I had no idea what a rite of age was, but I nodded. We all had our own customs and I wasn't about to pry into theirs. He bowed ever so slightly, an action which disturbed me quite a bit because I didn't want them to appear subservient- and a small part of me was reminded that they could easily kill me by standing on me in elephant form- but I kept myself quiet, letting Bella handle the situation.

"My name is Hathi. Now if you will please excuse us to our accommodation, we tire after such a long journey."

Clearing my throat, Bella took the weight of showing them off my shoulders, as she set off, guiding them to one of the many lodges we had cobbled together. I had a bit of reprieve for now, but with a million and one things to organise and fix, where did a wolf start?

* * *

The words were a jumble of letters, dancing around the page and taunting me like it did back in pre-school. I couldn't grasp the simplest of things, the words becoming a trudging mud that was intelligible, no matter how hard I tried. The words were either cold, careless or without the feeling that I wanted to put behind them.

It sounded as if I didn't know Harry, didn't think of him as my Uncle, didn't _grieve _at all for the loss. I rubbed my head, the pencil tight in my hand as the tip of the lead tapped repetitively against the table, leaving little scratches of grey all over the table. _Harry was my uncle- _I scratched through that hard, nearly tearing the lined paper in half with the ferocity of the gouge.

Like many boys, I had never been any good at English, and I hadn't been particularly good at stringing words together to make something coherent. It was even more difficult to inflect the tone I wanted into what I was trying to say. I slammed my head against the table hard, as if the pain would somehow send the answers into my swirling mind.

The door creaked open ever so slightly, and I didn't bother looking up, instead focusing on the fine-grained table. There was the soft footsteps echoing across the floor, before the chair next to me dragged as it was pulled out.

"Are you alright Jake?"

It was Bella, her voice as soft as can be without all that eerie formalness that she had prior. For a minute, we were together as equals, and she was reaching out as a concerned friend. Despite all the bad blood, the break between us, she was there for me as I had tried to be there for her, and I was glad. Even if I didn't always show it. I sighed heavily, my head still remaining planted against the table firmly.

"Depends. I've been trying to write _something _for the past _half an hour, _but it all comes out _like shit."_

I snapped, with a flash of anger that surprised even me. Bella seemed to take it her stride, replying not with anger but with the everlasting patience that she was known for. Had I been paying attention, I would have noticed that her side of the bond had opened ever so slightly, allowing the brief surface reading of her emotions.

Of course, I _wasn't _paying attention, too exhausted and frustrated to do anything more than close my eyes pathetically. Bella hummed, the sound of moving paper becoming audible as Bella reached over and grasped it. She seemed to skim over it quickly, before putting it to the side, in favour of tearing a new clean sheet, untainted by my attempts to tear it.

She didn't poke or prod, just sat there for at least two minutes, before I finally lifted my head up to look at her, momentarily awed by her beauty. Still, I pushed that thought to the side, ignoring my heartstrings twing a little at the thought.

"What were you trying to say? Tell me?"

There was no sense of anger, or betrayal, or any other emotion in her voice other than concern. She was the epitome of calmness, and anyone would think we hadn't had a huge argument just a few days prior. I took a moment to collect my thoughts, trying to compose what exactly I wanted to say about Harry. But how were you supposed to write a short paragraph about a man you'd known all your life?

"He was my Uncle, someone I knew would support me, even if I messed up somehow. He was like.. someone I could go to if my dad was unavailable. I could trust him with anything, and he wasn't afraid to tell me if he thought I was fucking up. He taught me a lot about our history, stuff that I might not have known had he not mentioned it, and I wish I had spent more years with him as I'd grown up. He was, to me, like your grandad, who you used to spend all your time with because he was cool, only to stop growing once you were older. He looked after me a lot.. like Charlie did after my Mom died, and I never thanked him for it. Never thanked either of them for it. And I regret that because he died without me ever expressing my graciousness."

My eyes watered a little, swimming and threatening to fall. I shook my head trying to clear it, as Bella scribbled furiously on the sheet of paper, her hand moving fast. Despite that, she somehow managed to keep her handwriting legible and interpretable, a skill I had never managed myself. You could get it neat or done quickly, but never both concurrently.

That had gotten me yelled at several times in English. Bella hummed, resting her hand a little as she turned her attention to me, rather than the paper. Her hair had been swept into an interlocked plait, far neater then I know she could have done herself. It was done in a tribal style, beads swimming through her hair like fish in a sea.

It was beautiful the way it was styled, and it almost distracted me long enough for me to finally get control of my emotions. She looked at me briefly, before returning to scribble.

"There wasn't much we could do for him..."

I turned to face her, a weird look on my own face. To contrast, she had a measured one on hers, her eyes downturned in sadness, and her eyes shining ever so slightly. There was a downtrodden look on her face like she had been through hell and back, and then I realised: oh wait, she had. She looked up at me, and the look on her face reminded me of when she had been injured, timid but still unafraid to fight back if crossed.

"I know that look on your face Jacob. It's one I see in the mirror."

This time there wasn't confusion on my face. She was trying to alleviate my guilt, which was the last thing I wanted. She had enough on her plate without my emotions, and besides, there was no point burdening her with my emotions, especially when she had just ascended to Alpha Female, was currently grieving for both Harry and dealing with the betrayal I had inflicted upon her. The wound I had given her, was raw in my own heart like she had given it to me.

"I should have had more people running. She got through a gap, a crack in our patrol, and Harry would have been here! Leah and Seth wouldn't have lost their parents!"

The end of the sentence came out as a whisper, my voice twisted and bitter, the undercurrents of an annoyed growl being barely heard over the brass tenor of my voice. Bella stopped scribbling- I wasn't even aware she had resumed scribbling- before laying the pencil down, and sliding the sheet over.

She fiddled with her hair, draping it over her shoulder, and absently flicking the end of it. I didn't bother to look at the paper as Bella redirected her attention to me, her eyes hard yet somehow sympathetic at the same time. I could practically see her wolf within her, like she was sitting alongside Bella, watching me with analytical eyes.

"If you did that Jacob, the Pack would be exhausted. We wouldn't be prepared for Victoria, and it would bring strain within the pack. One crack, does not a weakness make. Again, refer to my earlier point. Additionally, you weren't even Alpha at the time, and while I'm not saying it's Sam's fault either, the blame isn't wholly on you."

She looked away for a brief moment, sighing heavily as the back wall became interesting all of a sudden. Rubbing her temples, her eyes swivelled to mine, dropping ever so subtly to the floor. I checked myself- I didn't want to be imposing any Alpha authority on her, not right now. But unless it was some ability I'd picked up, I didn't think it was me.

"He... wouldn't have lived long.. He had been talking to me a lot, stories and legends. But he'd also been setting up contingencies."

Tears were beginning to drip down her face, and I made to get out of my chair to comfort. Her chair lurched backwards fairly quickly, as she moved forward towards me, a step at a time. As she leaned into my arms, my grasp, I rocked from side to side trying to soothe her, despite being confused about her cryptic message about contingencies.

I murmured various things under my breath, trying to croon and warble as wolf-like as I could, in an attempt to soothe both her and her wolf. She gathered a shaky breath, rubbing her brown eyes with the back of her hands.

"He... Harry had a heart disease... He had wanted to tell Sue, and Seth, and Leah.. but he didn't want to until his contingencies were put in place. I don't know why he confided in me, I don't _know,_ and I_ wish_ he didn't and told Sue, or anyone else, but he _did_."

She sobbed, and amongst her sobbing tears, I rubbed her back, trying to soothe her once again. It was obvious that the secret had been eating her up from the inside out, and it had weighed a lot on her. The whole scenario had done a 180. It had gone from me being angry to Bella being anguished. While I was still confused and conflicted and grieving, I held her close, letting a few tears of my own fall as I comforted her.

* * *

It took several cups of coffee, hugging, scenting one another, and breathing for us to get our emotions under control. At least, for now. Neither of us was quite ready to part just yet, so we did something we had done many times over the years: watch a movie. An act fairly simple and familiar for the two of us, but since Bella had practically banned me from doing anything associated with loss and the pack, there wasn't much else I could do.

According to Bella, there was no point in worrying about Victoria until she was attacking us, a philosophy I didn't quite share. Of course, in order to watch a movie, we had to have the proper equipment, which entailed a quick drive to the store. For the first time in what seemed like forever, Bella's foolhardy truck was what got us there, parked expertly in a small space.

We swung out of the red monster in disguise, and walked into the shop, armed with a shopping trolley. We'd need a lot to be able to sustain the two of us, and Bella needed some groceries so she could feed Charlie anyway. Plus, she wanted to do some baking, or so she told me, to help out Sue, Seth, and Leah.

"How's being a leader treating you so far?"

I asked, fully aware she hadn't been in the role for more then a couple of hours. I looked across the shelves, before tossing a few bags of minstrels into the trolley. It was on that aisle at the front of the shops, where it displays all of the 'deals' on offer. Realistically, it was a way for the shop to get more money as people spent money on sweet items that they would be saving money on.

It wouldn't stop me from buying them though. Bella looked at some M&Ms, before throwing those in too, her eyes meeting mine for the briefest of seconds before returning to the sweet section. She shrugged, eyes scanning over the large bars of chocolate that were looking particularly nice.

"I feel more connected with everyone. Sam is like my brother I never had, and so is Jared. The others... I feel maternal with them. Like my sole purpose is to guide them and to protect them."

That was what it felt like for me, except on a paternal side. That was what the pack was, a great big family, loyal to one another, to the point where we would die for one another. After tossing a few more bags of goodies, including some caramel popcorn, we moved onto the dairy aisle, aiming on picking up some cheese, butter and several assorted yoghurts.

"Especially to Shadow.. but I don't know why he's different."

I shrugged. There was an odd connection between myself and Shadow, but I couldn't place it. Whatever it was, our wolves couldn't place it either. Only that they felt the same pull, but stronger. With everything going on, I hadn't paid much attention to it, but it was something that I'd think about, maybe ask Shadow about once I had time to have an actual conversation with him.

"I feel it as well."

She smirked a little, as we grabbed various blocks of cheese and four tubs of butter- looking like we were going to feed a small army- before progressing onto the meat aisle. Could you imagine how much we could make if we went into hunting as a business venture? We'd probably get a lot.. provided we didn't maul the pelts, or damage them with our claws. We were natural-born predators after all.

"I know. We are imprints after all."

We moved along to the next aisle, where the various baking ingredients were being held, as Bella grabbed several bags of assorted flour, and several bags of sugar and powdered sugar. I had no idea what she was planning on doing, but I was sure it would be nice all the same.

We walked around for a little while, talking about several different things, as our mountain of goods became taller and taller, almost towering over us. As we queued up to pay, with me absently wondering if it would have been cheaper to buy in bulk, she reached her right up to my cheek, her eyes staring deeply into my mind.

"I.. I'd like to give us another try.. if that's okay?.."

My response was silent, as I threw open the doors to the bond, and answered her question with a pulse of my emotions, and a squeeze of her hand. A smile grew on my face, as I shyly pecked her on the cheek. Despite all of the bad things that had happened, things were beginning to look up- and I hoped it continued.

* * *

Author's Note

Sometimes, I think I should probably plan things out before I write them. Because I end up winging it, saying I'll do one thing, and it never happens. And then I feel bad.

But anyway, theoretically, next chapter, we will have Shadow's arrival with some more people to join the shifter army, which is what _I'm _totally dubbing it now.

So, how has everyone's week been? Mines has been pretty stressful between tests, parents evening, sorting out a new job, and a birthday party. I'm amazed the chapter is as long as it is, considering my lack of time to write.

Speaking of which, I have some maths homework to do, so I'd better hop to it: so QOTW is something random. Always the best kind of questions. What makes someone a hero?

Is it doing a good deed? Possessing a good character? I think they have to have a strong sense of morality, and a desire to do what is right. A bit cliche, but then again, I think they also have to have a flaw, because otherwise, they won't understand certain things.

Anyway, I _really _have to do my maths now.

See you all next week!

~Cait


	33. Chapter 33 - The Spectre

Deep in the dark I don't need the light  
There's a ghost inside me  
It all belongs to the other side  
We live, we love, we lie

Hello, hello  
Nice to meet you, voice inside my head  
Hello, hello  
I believe you, how can I forget

Is this a place that I call home  
To find what I've become  
Walk along the path unknown  
We live, we love, we lie

The Spectre, by Alan Walker, released on the album The Spectre, released in 2017

* * *

Shadow's POV

It had been a long time since I had ran with my pups like this. Even longer since I had been able to spend time with them. Each of them with their own powers, gifts much like the Vampires I had saved Bella from, and each sporting their own fur colour, a reminder of the family I had lost. They had been all too eager to help me once I explained my plight, still having a childlike innocence that I envied of them, despite being centuries older then they would have been.

Whisper-Wynde-Wisp, my eldest daughter, ran alongside me as we navigated under the hustling and bustling path that I knew was called a 'road', as I had learned from our pack. We weren't far from the pack now, and my estimation of the time was not so far off. From where the day-circle was in the sky, it looked to be about mid-day, perhaps a little off from it.

"_**Are they good, father?"**_

I crooned, a warm throaty sound that I often did when they were pups and I had to soothe them. My poor darling daughter had been looking after her siblings for so long, that I feared she forgot what it was like to have a childhood. She was the one, as eldest, to look after her siblings while I went hunting to feed them.

It was a responsibility I did not want to put onto her, but that I had to. I nodded my head as we continued to lope through the thickening white-fall, moving around trees as we crossed the path in small groups of three and four. I had no intentions to alert them to our presence, especially after learning how cruel and selfish they could be.

"_**I believe we can trust them, but as always we must remain guarded. But what they fight for is just, and they fight to correct a grave injustice committed upon them."**_

The trees were becoming more familiar, as we became more and more remote. I skidded to a stop, Whisper-Wynde-Wisp following shortly after as we waited for everybody to come closer, and also catching our breaths. The forest naturally shrouded us, and I knew that between all of us, we would quickly become aware of any nearing predators or kin-stealers.

The first three to arrive were the other eldest of all my pups, Torrent-Drink-Life, Bright-Stinging-Yellow, and Ember-Hot-Year. Their pelts, although contrasting in colour, looked very akin to one another in the drifting white-fall, were vastly different. Torrent, for example, had a blue-grey pelt, with the piercing blue eyes to go with it. He was our best water-mover, perhaps due to his power, which was water-manipulation.

We'd found out that power when his Mama had taken him out to the lake with the intention of teaching him how to water-walk, only to realise that no lessons were needed as the water simple boosted him up as if he had asked it himself. And then when it started to arc around him, forming chutes and soaking his brother, whom he had been annoyed at earlier in the day, we found out his power.

Bright's power had been discovered in a unique way, being the only one out of the quadruplets who had not been afraid of the stinging-night-yellow. She had disappeared one night and when I went out searching for her, I found her sitting, watching the stinging-night-yellow as it danced around her, her fur standing up on edge as small arcs danced throughout it. She hadn't been in pain, so we knew instantly it was her gift.

We had no idea how they all had gifts, considering that my mate had no gifts, yet all our children had them. Eventually, we had narrowed it down to the magic running through my veins- she had been the only one I had trusted with the truth because I wasn't going to form a mateship with her if I wasn't going to be honest.

Lastly, Ember, who we had initially assumed had no powers, only to be immediately corrected as he fought off a forest-red-hot, rescuing several of our fellow forest-kin from the fury of the red hot. It was destroying burrows and dens alike, and we had later found out that some careless kin-stealers had caused it in an attempt to flush us out, which hadn't work. He had dived straight into the clutches of the fire to rescue Bright, who had become trapped behind a choking smog.

We were all busy trying to dim the red-hot, each of us using our powers, that none of us noticed Ember slip into it, unharmed by the flames. The next trio of pups was not far behind, loping in large bounds as they crossed the grass, fur ruffling in the breeze. Forge-Strength-Glisten, Peace-Tranquil-Tune and Life-Den-Borne were next, the duo of brothers and single sister were two-cycles younger than my first set of pups, and it showed, with them acting a little more naive then my first quadruplets did.

Their powers represented their names, and in our world, they were fairly unique. I had incorporated the use of several human words that I had picked up over the years travelling, and the terms were ones I was familiar with, despite my aversion to human-life. Forge. A simple word, and one I had come across when I had been forced to walk in a human's skin, in order to get various fabrics for Peace, the runt of the litter.

It had been a particularly harsh white-turning that cycle, and she struggled to keep warm, lungs barely filling with life. So I gathered their detachable skins, or 'blankets' as they called it, and snuck them out of the village. You may wonder why I said I borrowed the human words for their names, despite the fact I just insinuated that they were born before my skin-walking.

As was custom, wolf pups are not named until they survived six day-turns, as to make sure they have an increased chance of survival. My trip to the village took place two day-turns after their birth.

Forge was a word I had heard used by a particular human who wielded a tool much like our fangs and pushed it against various minerals in order to make a shape. Since the human used the red-hot to temper the tools, and he looked like a particularly fierce human, perhaps of an Alpha or Beta level, I borrowed the second part of his name: Strength.

A term used to describe the ferocity of a human, or so I've learned. The final word- glisten- was one I also used, as I had heard a human refer to their fangs as 'glistening white'. I do not make a habit of incorporating human speech into our own, but I liked the ring of all the words I borrowed. The female- who was Alpha- made that weird version of a chuffing noise, before correcting the child to 'glisten.'

Life-Den-Borne incorporated only one word of the humans: 'life'. From what I understood, life was the action of existing, of living, what we called 'being-walking'. Where we walk, and never stop until we go to the end. I had heard that on the same expedition into the village, where the humans were returning one of their own to the earth, a deep disturbance in the earth where the limp and distinctly death-smelling form of a small human rested.

_T__he life of this babe was not meant to be, taken by God too soon. _I had walked, that weird way that humans did, away quickly, but the word life stuck in my head. And so, that was how Life-Den-Borne got his name. Peace-Tranquil-Tune got her name far, far differently when I had been lax in my protecting of my kin, and Peace had snuck out, ever mischievous and curious.

It wasn't until Whisper had tracked me down, disturbed and anxious, to tell me that Peace had gone missing. I spent no time, running back to our Den and scenting around, reaching out with my shadows and my powers in order to find my youngest and weakest. Through the bushes and shrubbery, tracking her scent a few minutes run away, where I saw her being picked up by two pups of the humans.

I fought every instinct I had, tensing and remaining hidden in the grass, as they picked her up, turning her gently in their small, clawless hands. There was no smell of death surrounding them, none of those weapons visible, and there was no sign they were going to hurt my pup.

"She's only small."

The other youngling looked at the one currently holding my daughter, the back of his hands grooming the tuft of fur sprouting on her back. Peace seemed relaxed, turning in their hands, and nuzzling them softly, like one would their Heart, just minus some intimacy. The boy hummed, looking over my pup as Peace was passed into the other's hands. His eyes narrowed, looking over my pup and tickling her stomach with the back of his paw.

"That's because she's a baby- a puppy. She shouldn't be away from her parents."

"So what? Do we leave her here?"

The boy shook his head, making sure not to harm Peace, who was licking his hands. I was going to have serious words with my daughter once I got her back. I was willing to break the laws of life and harm the younglings should they harm my graceful daughter. The boy sat down, arms making a protective layer around Peace, as the little girl followed suit.

"No, we wait here for her parents to come. They will look after her from there."

It was odd to see the human-kind so not-terrified of us, even back then. We were respected, but they often attacked us out of the misconstrued conception that we will simply attack anyone who happens to come across us. They didn't care that we would not attack unless we were threatened by their weapons of death.

Deciding that I needed to get Peace sooner rather than later, because our Den would likely become a cacophony of howls and warbles, I stepped out of the shrubbery, carefully walking out, my eyes glistening with the twisted shapes of the shadows that I was ready to use. The younglings kept still, carefully lowering Peace to the ground as she yipped, running back to me and dancing around my legs happily, chewing at clumps of my fur.

I ran my tongue along her back, before picking her up by the scruff of her neck, her legs dangling above the air. I bowed my head to them graciously, somewhat amazed that they didn't try to attack me or my daughter, before turning my heel and walking away, intent on making sure the Den was still in one piece.

"See?"

The boy said as I could hear him shuffling upwards, lifting up his sister with a small grunt. I kept walking, intent on lecturing Peace as we moved along- there was a reason that we didn't go near humans, not after what they had done.

"That was the Papa wolf. We can't separate them- would you like it if we got separated from Papa?"

* * *

That little tale leads me onto my son and my daughter, only a year younger than the quadruplets. The only two who were not born of me or my Mate, but rather came to us by an unconventional means. They were the result of a debt owed, and a debt repaid, along with lessons learnt, and once again reminded. It was roughly a year or two after my previous litter had been born, and we had since moved outside of the area, but not far.

I didn't want to move until Grass-Hunt had passed. I had taken Life and Peace hunting, to prepare them for the responsibilities of being in a Pack, where we had come across hushed crying and the sound of breaking branches. Prowling forward, hunched low as my son and my daughter flanked me, I carefully pushed on the branches, allowing me some perception to accompany my hearing. In front of me, there was a very familiar older boy, looking around thirteen cycles old, with a little girl, only around ten-cycles old.

Although they had grown, and their clothes no longer baggy and loose, I recognised them easily, for I would never forget a face, for better or for worse.

"_**Humans!"**_

Life growled, his bark having not grown into his body yet. I hushed him with a silent snap of my teeth, before turning to Peace, who's tail was wagging faster than the falling of the stinging-night-yellow when it was summoned from the sky.

"_**I remember them!"**_

I stepped out, gesturing for Peace and Life to follow me out. They followed my lead, as I saw the scenario a little bit clearer. The boy was on the floor, his ankle bent at an awkward angle, as the girl was crouched next to it, trying not to harm her sibling any more.

I bowed my head, approaching slowly and non-menacingly, as Peace kept herself calm, despite me knowing that she wanted to go and play with her playmates. Life kept by my side, lingering and on edge as if he was expecting them to lunge.

"_**They did me a great favour Life. Heed my lessons about human-kind, but note that there will be exceptions. They protected Peace that day, and for that, I have a debt to repay. I shall guide them back to the village."**_

I shortened the distance as the little girl stepped in front of her brother, opening her arms wide as if to scare us off with the sheer force of will. It was admirable what lengths she would go to protect her brother. Relying heavily on the human speech, and reaching for the pull of my magic, I carefully opened a window into their mind, establishing a link.

"_You are hurt. I smell pain. I will carry you and your sibling back to the human village. I repay the debt I owe you for caring for my daughter."_

His eyes widened, as Peace slowly approached, laying on her tummy, non-threateningly. The little girl, seemingly recognising who it was, laughed and wrapped her hands around Peace's neck, as Peace licked her cheek. The boy encouraged the girl to go onto Peace's back since she was now big enough to carry a youngling, as I looked over the boy, who I would carry.

It was naive of him to assume I was being honest- even though I was in this instance- and it would be a lesson that he would have to learn later.

"Thank you."

I bowed my head, lowering into a position where he could climb onto my back. Life, taking initiative, moved to his side, bracing the boy as he climbed onto my back, his hands grasping hold onto my thick and coarse fur.

Calling Life back to my side, we began to walk to where I knew the Human Village was, the only intention on my mind was to make sure the younglings got home okay. It was the law of us all to protect any youngling, regardless of species, from any harm, and doubly more so when one had a debt to pay.

* * *

Despite my best efforts, we kept running into the two younglings. Whether it was because Peace snuck off- something she had proven quite adept at- or because I had to walk into the Human Village, we would run into one another every 31st day-cycle or so. This happened for a few years, and whilst I had no lingering love for the humans, there was a soft place in my heart reserved for the two of them.

Whatever encouraged them to see us cycle after cycle was something that I wasn't aware of, and my travels through the Human Village yielded no information. Still, in that time-frame, a mere two cycles after my previous litter, we had our final set of pups. Honour-Legend-Ancestor, Spirit-Walk-Bridge, and Tempest-Cycle-Eon. My three youngest, and to our expectancy at this point, had powers of their own. Time manipulation, ancestor-communication, and a human term here- a shifter ability to shift into whatever she pleases.

She had great fun with that, but less so when she nearly got killed by one of her siblings after running around as a small-lurcher. It was safe to say we watched our hunting very carefully once she came along. I shook my head to clear my thoughts of the past, upon realising that we were arriving back at the Pack Den. I settled back into what they called the Pack Mind, slipping back into the spot as I made way for my pups to join me, a tentative bond joining them to it.

It was quiet, overly so for the normally hustling and bustling pack. I had passed the huts that were made for my acquaintances to stay, and I left them to it, instead waiting, sat on my haunches as I waited. They were due any time now. Curved came trotting through the undergrowth, and the weight of his mind was heavy, turgid, _sad._

Something had happened while I had been away, and I didn't know what. Curved scanned over the assortment of my twelve pups, as the human form of Strawberry strode up alongside. They looked better, and the weight of the Alpha role, although not a light one, looked well on them. A few of my pups growled in warning, and the air suddenly got thicker, before I turned to face them, snapping my teeth emptily in a warning.

"_**She is wolf. She is human-born, but not. She is what we call a shifter. She walks a wolf-skin like I walk a human-skin, but she is to be trusted."**_

The growls ceased as if I had personally commanded it. I turned to face the two of them once again, as Strawberry crouched down, running her bruised hand along Curved's spine.

"**_Curved-Blackened-Tree, Strawberry-Honey-Forest, meet my pups. Pups, meet my Pack."_**

Strawberry's look was that of surprise, while Curved had a neutral look on his face. Curved quickly recollected his thoughts, and nodded, a gruff huff being his acknowledgement. The look of grief, one I had seen on my own muzzle quite a few times, weighed him down, and it left me wondering one thing.

_What had happened while I had been gone?_

* * *

Notes

Day-Circle – Sun

White-fall - Snow

Kin-Stealers – Hunters

Water-mover – Swimming

Water-walk – Tread Water

stinging-night-yellow – Thunder

forest-red-hot – forest fire

White-turning – Winter

being-walking – Life

Grass-Hunt – Spring

Small-lurcher – Rabbit

Curved-Blackened-Tree - Jacob

Strawberry-Honey-Forest - Bella

* * *

Author's Note

At this point, I'm beginning to think that I should just create an entirely new language for Shadow and his pups. I'd like to think that some of the names for things- 'white-fall' being a notable example, are fairly easy to guess, but who knows.

Also, I'm going a pretty dismal job at sticking to what I say I am going to write about. Harry's funeral _was _what I was going to write about- but then I remembered that it could take a little while for them to be planned.

So that's next chapter, but for now, I hope you enjoy a little bit of Shadow's past- and all of his pups minus two, who will be introduced at some point. As a side note, it ain't easy to come up with different sounding names for every pup- and I compiled a list of potential names.

So, question of the week: If you could have one exotic animal as a pet- with no consequences, and they would be like a normal domesticated pet- what animal would it be? For me, I think it would either be a wolf, simply because they are my favourite, or a lynx because I happen to love cats too.

As always, thanks for everybody's reviews, whether a guest or not. They put a smile on my face!

See you next week!

~Cait


	34. Chapter 34 - Forest

I scream, you scream, we all scream  
'Cause we're terrified of what's around the corner  
We stay in place  
'Cause we don't want to lose our lives  
So let's think of something better

Down in the forest  
We'll sing a chorus  
One that everybody knows  
Hands held higher,  
We'll be on fire  
Singing songs that nobody wrote

Forest, by Twenty One Pilots, from the album Vessel, released in 2013

* * *

It did not take me long to find out what exactly had happened to the Pack. One of their eldest members of the Pack, father to Timber and the She-Wolf, who had not received a scent-name as of yet, had died as a result of the Vampire we were trying to take down. I left them to their preparations, promising to make contact with the arrival of my acquaintances, but also getting my pups accustomed to the new surroundings.

I had refused the offer of a shack to live in, instead expanding my own Den into a massive spiralling network of tunnels, so each pup had their own resting-place. The remembrance of the Elder was set to start at dawn, and even though I did not have a lot of experience with the elder, he was an indirect member of the Pack, someone who guided them.

Since I was a member of the Pack, and by the rule of bloodline, so were my pups, we would go and show our support, lingering in the background, as several non-shifters would be there. This was how I found myself in our Den, forcibly pinning down Heart and grooming her as she twitched and tried to escape from my grooming tongue.

She was still young, despite not being my youngest, and she was incredibly.. ticklish, a word foreign to us but was described as a fond sensation that can sometimes be irritable.

"_**Paaa"**_

I licked my rough tongue over her head, smoothing down the tufts of brown fur that decorated her head. I nosed her, as her brother, Noble, watched over her with a protective eye. I moved on to her lower back, and despite her being much older then she was when I adopted her, I still loved acting like a father to her, and grooming her even though she could do it herself.

"_**I know you can do it yourself, but indulge me? I have not seen you for a long time."**_

She groaned but turned towards her brother with a look that clearly read 'save me'. Sure enough, my observation was proven right as she crooned towards him, flicking her ears back and tilting her head in a wolfish manoeuvre.

"_**Come on, Artie. Help me here"**_

"_**You're on your own Melie. I've already been subjected to my grooming."**_

It was true. I'd gotten to him first. I was making my rounds round all my pups though, they had just been the ones I'd collared first. Pardon the accidental pun. I suppose I'd better explain how they got their nicknames- because it was rather difficult to get 'Artie' from Noble, after all. I suppose you will have to forgive me for another tale, but needs must.

You see, they were adopted, and while I did not love them any less, nor did my Mate, it played a significant effect on their backstories. Their original names were Arthur and Amelia. A little boy and a little girl, who we met so long ago. We met them several times and well.. they did end up saving our lives, or at least, those of my youngest pups at the time. I had been careless, and not adequately monitoring the humans.

They had managed to find our latest Den, and while we hadn't done anything to injure them or cause them harm, they still sought us out in an attempt to eradicate us. The two children were willing to go against the village they were born in, in order to save us. I still remember it like it was yesterday.

* * *

"Shadow!"

The younglings cried out, gathering my attention as I poked my head out of my Den, my beautiful Mate still recovering from the latest litter's birth. Whisper poked her head out alongside my own, as well as Peace, as she had taken a curious interest in the boy and his sister. I shielded the two of them instinctively before I pushed out my power and wrapped it around the two younglings.

I did not know much about their lifestyle, but I had grown to trust them, despite my general reluctance and distrust of every other human. These younglings had taught me a valuable lesson: sometimes I had to take a risk in order to gain a victory, and that not all humans were bad... it just took me a long time to realise it.

I let my anger over what happened to my mother and father and my previous pack blind me when I should have used it to fuel my desire to protect my Pack. Still, the younglings looked distressed in a way I had never seen them- whilst Arthur- the boy's name, as I had inevitably learned- was normally quiet, and his sister, Amelia was excited, neither of those particular traits were showing themselves.

In fact, they had almost swapped roles entirely. They were both huffing, looking tired as black marks haunted their eyes, along with a dishevelled look on their faces.

"The Village knows where you are!"

_That _caught my attention. My ears pricked up to full attention, and my fur bristled on my back in preparation for a fight. I turned to face Peace and Whisper, their eyes fearful. They knew about the murderers who could come in the night. I trusted the younglings implicitly since they had proved themselves time and time again. They were not wolf, but they were pack. And pack looked out for one another.

"_**Whisper, Peace, go into the Den and help your Mama to empty the Den."**_

They knew better than to question me when I had that tone, and they turned tail, dashing into the deep and dark Den. I slunk out, tail swishing aggravatingly, as I looked at the two younglings, this time in a clearer light. They were anxious, and I smelt no lie amongst them.

A series of whines and whimpers echoed through the tunnel, along with the pounding paws of my pack. I bowed my head to the younglings, and while my attitude was stressed and worried, they had done nothing to warrant my ire.

"_Where are they coming from?"_

Arthur's eyes flicked towards Amelia, who was trying in vain to remain calm, whispering something along the lines of not wanting anyone to die. I headbutted her, burrowing my head into her ribs, whilst licking her and crooning at her. Fear still escaped from her, and there was nothing I could do to calm her down.

"_Amelia, I'm going to give you a really important job. I need you to help Drizzle get my pups to safety. Can you do that?"_

She looked up to face me, and nodded mutely. I knew she had heard me though. Arthur looked at me appreciatively, as he turned and broke into a slight jog, as I followed behind. We ran like that for a few minutes, before he stopped abruptly, motioning for me to move forward.

We crouched down in the shrubbery, as a large group of humans approached, the scent of death hurting my nose even more than the smell that I knew as Vampire. It was jaded, not quite fresh, meaning the Vampire was not with them. They were somewhere else. I wondered if they knew they were fraternising with a Vampire- then again, it wasn't the first time where Vampires and Humans teamed up.

I kept my powers at a low hum, as they crept right past us, but in the general location of the Den. They waved sticks of red-hot, crackling furiously, sharp blades with the red edge of the red-hot decorating it, and were covered in several thick furs, that looked like it would provide protection against our fangs. I couldn't cover an area this wide with my powers without maintaining control over all of them, and taking them on as a group wasn't a viable option.

"How much do you think we'll get for their furs? I'm hopin' enough to have a drink."

I restrained a snarl, baring my teeth at them despite the fact that I knew they couldn't see it. The fact that they were just going to kill us for their own selfish gain- not to survive, but for unnecessary things- went against all laws of the wild, and against every instinct that humans, as fellow beings who live in packs, should possess.

I shrouded myself with my powers, allowing the light to playfully bounce away from my shadows, as I quickly told Arthur to stay hidden. While there was not much honour in sneak attacks, I placated myself with the fact that this was a pre-emptive move, and that they were going to do it to us first. Silently, I moved with the grass, stomach low to the ground as I crawled, watching the group of six with hardened, and darkened, eyes.

"I reckon that we'll get enough fer at least two rounds per person, provided we do it right.'

There was one man lagging behind the pack, not getting involved and acting like an omega. Gathering my powers, I used the natural shadows of the trees to reflect a small beam of light into his eye, originating from my right side. He blinked rapidly, before moving along towards it, where I coiled like I was about to hunt a grass-grazer.

Once he crouched down, inspecting the dirt for paw pads, I leapt, releasing the tension from my back legs, and lunging for his necks. He bowed down under my weight, my strength being far superior. My shadows enveloped us both eagerly, as I clenched my jaws on his throat, and tore them apart viciously, resulting in a spurt of blood that decorated my chest. The fear he had in his eyes stayed there forever haunted, as I turned away, knowing that I did not wish for Arthur to see it.

I took no pride in these killings, but my pack, my family, would always take priority. Dissipating the shadows from the body once I realised that it was secure, I prowled forwards, the group staying spaced out in groups of two, plus one who was now without a partner. Said man looked up, looking around in question for the man who I had no doubt killed.

"Where's John?"

"Probably havin' a piss."

In an attempt to split them up further, I mimicked a large, eye catching event, by manifesting a ball of shadow, and expanding it quickly, resulting in a large bang, something akin to what happened when the red-hot mixed with what the human's called oil. Sure enough, they looked at one another, sprinting towards it without a lick of caution or fear.

Taking advantage of that, I charged towards the next guard, slamming into him with my full body weight, and pulling him over with a large tug. The taste of the thick-fur was not pleasant, but I could just about take them down, provided I was careful where I slammed into. Once again, I placed my jaws to his throat, digging in with deep fangs, and tore his throat out, resulting in more blood to be decorated with, much to my displeasure.

The humans, by now, had noticed that something odd was happening, because they backed up and got into a circle, protecting themselves from all angles, but underneath. In an attempt to intimidate them, I let out a bloodthirsty growl, making sure to enunciate the hunger in it, and the ferocity that came when you angered a father wolf. Peeling my shadows back, I took advantage of their hesitation and lunged, my fangs outstretched.

One of them got their bearings back quick enough to attempt to strike me with one of their sticks, which I neatly dodged, and sent flying back at him with a sudden burst of shadow. I ducked under another one of their strikes, using my momentum to carry beneath his legs and turn sharply. I sank my teeth- or rather, attempted to- into his flank, but their thick skin resulted in no damage being done, and a very sore feeling jaw.

I quickly realised that I had no chance of penetrating it, so I flicked my head and loosened the plating some, before allowing my powers to sink me into the ground, and out of sight. Looking up as I prowled, I decided to test something out as they scrambled above me. They were saying something, but it was blurred and muffled.

Returning to the man I had somewhat torn the fur off of, I quickly used my shadows to creep up his legs, causing him to pull an amusing face as he quickly began to turn a deep berry-colour. None of his former allies wanted to grasp ahold of him- I assumed they believed it was contagious- and soon I dragged him under.

As he looked around with widened eyes and a look of shock, as I tore off the odd fur, and lunged for his throat, which he tried to protect with his hands. But since he didn't have sharp claws, I tore through them with my superior fangs, bringing him to the floor, and ultimately killing him. I pushed the body back up to the surface, placed as such so he would appear underneath one of the others. There were three more to handle.

They startled easy, their senses being insufficient compared to us, as we had not lived a 'domesticated' life. One man, who I assumed was the Alpha, lunged towards me with a red-hot stick, which scorched the grass it touched. I became aware of this fact after I burnt my feet- I had successfully dodged the red-hot stick, but not the smouldering embers that lingered after. I manifested my gift as a small ball, before throwing it at the red-hot, attempting to extinguish it by cutting off its fuel source.

The little embers that there were had managed to catch onto the grass and the trees, which was going to damage hundreds of our kind's- that is, the forest-dwellers- homes and kin. The shadow ball enraptured the end of the stick, and as the Alpha became sidetracked with trying to get it off- which wouldn't happen- I turned to the two remaining men- actually, one was a female.

With the blood decorating my face like the blood from a fresh kill, I must have looked an intimidating sight, but they did not let that deter them, and they charged me, two on one. With the red-hot flaring up around me, enticing me into a deadly exchange of weapons, I leapt over a swinging attack, while shoving the person behind me with my powers.

As she attempted an overhead strike, I nimbly moved out of the way, and lunged forwards, aiming for her feet in an attempt to unbalance her. The wind was increasing its tempo, the red-hot leaping higher and higher as the female fell to the floor, where I set upon her with the tenacity of an hungered wolf. Just as I finished, I became aware of the distracted human attempting to creep up on me, feet thundering against the grass and sounding over the wind with ease.

I ducked as the weapon swung emptily above where my head had once been, but he responded quicker then I anticipated, causing me to attempt to deflect the weapon with my powers. I concentrated it as a shield, black and deep as it surrounded me, and while it did not stop the blow, it deflected it enough so that I only got a skirting wound on my right flank. Sore, and it was dripping blood, but it was manageable, and the pain was negligible for the most part.

Tiring of the battle, I summoned my energy, realising there could be another group hunting forever close to my pack, and threw the shadows at them, engulfing them in a haze of purple, eating at them. Their screams never left my ears as I turned away to retrieve Arthur, intending on getting my pack and the two younglings I had unintentionally adopted out of here.

I didn't even pause to wash my fur. That was how pressing this was- and luck and fortune had never been on my side before.

* * *

It took me too long to eliminate the other group. My combat, although not my strength, was enough to eliminate them all without feeling or receiving many wounds. I was thankful for the fact that I had seen it fit to further train myself so I could protect my pack, my family. My Pups and Mate. The Vampire took me the longest to eliminate, being wily and strong.

It would not be felled in a single bite like the others, and there was no lifeblood to drain, no weak point to nurture. But eventually, I did it. Arthur slid onto my back as I sprinted at my fastest speed towards where I knew our Den was, the red-hot (fire, Arthur told me) eating away at the woods like it was nothing more than a nuisance.

Fellow creatures of the woods ran away in other directions, speaking the old tongue as they fled in fear, young supporting old, young carrying newborn babes and pups alike. I leapt over the red-hot as Arthur clung to my fur like it was the last thing he would do. It burned the pads of my feet, but I ignored it as I came out to my Den, which was surrounded by leaping red-hot and the fallen trees, a word, I learned, we shared between the common tongue and the human tongue.

Arthur leapt of my back, holding his arm to his mouth to stop the smog from entering his lungs, as I limited my breathing somewhat.

"_**Breeze!"**_

I called out, my heart thudding in my chest rather than staying its usual calm self. There was no answer, until a few moments later where she called out from within the Den, sounding stressed and anxious, but none the worse for wear. The strong smell of Vampire returned with a vengeance, as I curled my teeth and snapped angrily at nothing in particular.

"_Arthur. Go help my Mate- Breeze. Go far from here, and hide. I have a Vampire to kill."_

He knew better than to disobey me and instead went around to where our emergency exit was. Once he was gone, I quickly licked my wounds before turning my attention to the new Vampire. His pale skin was shining in the light, trying to deceive us from the natural predator he was. Too bad for him that I was also predator, and not a normal one either.

I bared my teeth, dropping down into a spry pouncing stance, as I stared him down with my different coloured eyes, and brought up my shadow power to aid me. This would not be easy, but as long as my pups and mate made it out safely, then I would be content. With that thought, we began our fight- me to protect, and him to destroy. It was a battle I would not lose, not _again._

* * *

Author's Note

I will keep this incredibly short, because I am currently about to fall asleep at my desk.

QOTW: What is one random fact about yourself?

Me: I have all of my initials made up in elements. Chromium (Cr) or Caesium (Cs) or Carbon & Lawrencium (CLr), or Chlorine Sulfide (ClS)

Anyway, I've got to go sleep. Goodnight everyone and thank you for all of your reviews likes and favourites!

~Cait


	35. Chapter 35 - The Millennium Prayer

Our Father who art in Heaven  
Hallowed be thy name  
Thy Kingdom come thy will be done on earth as in heaven  
Give us today our daily bread  
And forgive our sins  
As we forgive each one of those who sin against us  
And lead us not to the time of trial  
But deliver us from evil  
For thine is the kingdom the power and the glory

The Millenium Prayer, by Cliff Richard, from the album The Whole Story: His Greatest Hits, released in 2000

* * *

I took a pause from recounting the tale of my adopted pups, as I released the squirming Heart from my grasp, her accented fur neatly brushed aside. Heart never stopped moving, one of my more hyper pups, and she was often the one encouraging the others to play, despite their ages.

I could read Noble's face easily, reminding me of the similar expression he had pulled many years ago. I nudged Peace with my muzzle, my tongue snaking out to tease her, as she jumped away, her smoothed out grey accents instead spiking up ever so slightly.

"_**Peace, will you go get Honour, Spirit, and Tempest please?"**_

She bounded off, disappearing into our makeshift Den as I turned to her brother, who had since shifted into a sitting position, his reddish russet fur, with his own accents, sitting smoothed down. I had just spent a while grooming him, as was customary for a pack members remembrance.

After I had groomed my final three pups, we would be setting off to say our farewells to the Pack Elder, of whom I had rarely met. But he was there for Strawberry in her time of need, and his own pups were in the Pack- and I knew all too well the all encompassing grief that followed the passing of kin.

"_**Do you trust them, Pa?"**_

He was not the first of my Pups to ask the question, but he _was _one of the most calm. I knew exactly what he was referring to, because the tone of loss was heavy handed under his low croon. He held a lot of guilt for what the humans did- he and his sister both- and both were guarded because of it.

It was more subtle, hidden, in Peace's personality, but not so much in Noble's. I nodded slowly, a meaningful glance being set down the tunnel that my last three pups would be coming up any time soon.

"_**Yes, Arthur. They are different. They are wolf. They have had a war with the Vampires because they hurt a Heart, and their reasons are just. I joined their Pack because I chose to, not because I was subjugated. You have no fear. I will not force you to join this Pack, you may roam freely as you have for many of years. You are certainly old enough now to seek your Heart."**_

He knew I was being serious when I referred to him by that name. It wasn't something we did very often, the name a remembrance of a past long ago. He looked down at the ground, scratching it slightly with his different coloured eyes that were a mirror of my own.

I butted his head, crooning a soft noise to him like I did for many years later. The events of that night, that led to his change, haunted him for many years after, and unfortunately the list of those nightmares only kept adding with age.

"_**You say that, but what do you mean by that. That they are wolf?"**_

I smiled a little, because it reminded me of a few of my other memories. I had a collection of them by now, both of the good and bad variety. 'They are wolf' was certainly a weird phrase, considering they are not a wolf biologically. They had the spirit of a wolf, had the form of a wolf, but for all intents and purposes, they were not wolf.

"_**I told you when you were young about my Mother and my Father. 'They are wolf' was a term she used to say to me and my brothers when I was young, and asked about why we never harmed or maimed lost stragglers, or necessary forest-dwellers, even if they attempted to hunt us first. She said something that sticks with me. 'They may not be wolf, but they are wolf. They are brave, stick together, and bound like a wolf. We respect others like us, but not us, and we are respectful to all forest-dwellers. We share many qualities, but we must stick to them. They are wolf in the sense of Pack, and family, and kinship, and they have the strength to be strong. Any human that stands up to all those qualities are a wolf, in all but blood.' It is not simple to understand, but the phrase was saying that they had similar qualities that we do, and have honour and loyalty. They are a wolf in spirit, but not in blood. I suppose that is exceedingly literal in this case."**_

He hummed, in deep thought and looking significantly older then he was for that brief moment in time. He didn't get any chance to speak or ask me questions about the old tale from my mother, as my three rumbustious younger pups came tearing out of the tunnel, fur tussled and mussed and in need of a good groom.

I say rumbustious, but perhaps that was more accurate for Spirit and Tempest, and not for Honour. She was so quiet, and when I say that, I mean that in all seriousness of the word quiet. Words were practically a different dialect for her, in the sense that she wasn't likely to make much noise.

"_**Calm down a little guys."**_

Noble's tail swept, flicking them on the nose as he began to disappear down the tunnel. He nosed Honour on the way past, as she looked back quietly, eyes dwelling upon him for a brief second. Her white fur was neatly pushed away, and she was easily my neatest pup in terms of fur cleanliness.

Tempest subjected himself to my grooming first, his blue-grey fur being one of the most colourful amongst all my pups. Where all these fur colours came from, I assumed it was somewhere within my lineage. But I never knew my grandfather, nor my grandmother, and so, my parentage through the generations was largely unknown.

Even if I did know that, I was not the most experienced person in terms of lineage. I ran my tongue along his fur, pulling it back neatly and giving him a nice appearance. Since cleaning my pups was a fairly monotonous and laborious task, I allowed myself to drift back into the story of my adopted pups. It would be a quick way for the time to pass, and I was never one to leave a story unfinished.

* * *

I carefully lowered Tempest down onto the grass, near my Mate as we took a minute to do a quick headcount. All my pups, youngest to the eldest, were safe from the ensuing flames of the red-hot, and there was no more fumes contaminating our lungs. We could breath clean air once again. Breeze, in all her majestic beauty, nosed around the pups, checking them with silent snuffles and small nudges.

The light was shining on her, illuminating her beauty for all to see, but to contrast the joy I felt about seeing my Mate, we both looked at the remains of the forest. Trees had tumbled down, beaten into submission by the flames. Forest-Dwellers were fallen, scattered across the grass, bodies midstride as we realised they had failed to escape the chaos.

Amongst everything, we realised that the red-hot was still eating the forest, endangering those who had failed to escape the ensuing chaos. There was no sign of Amelia or Arthur, and I had my doubts that they would have just fled without telling us. The last we saw, they were making sure the Den was empty, and were intending to follow us out.

But they hadn't. I looked to my Mate, as she matched my look with one of worry. Despite ourselves, we had grown attached to the two younglings, and they were our own. Wolf but not wolf, as my mother would have said. Breeze knew me better then I knew myself, so she nudged her head towards the forest, and licking my cheek, flicking her ears.

"_**Go look for them. Take Whisper. They went the way we came, that much I can see."**_

"_**I will. Run safe, Breeze. Be careful, my Heart. "**_

Whisper flanked me, as we broke into a run, heading into the hell-scape that was our former home. It was difficult to track any scents in the ensuing chaos, and the thick fumes, choking and constricting did not help us much either. Between my own and Whisper's powers, we managed to thin out the air to the degree where we could breath a little easier.

The heat was still something to be reckoned with, but every so often Whisper would surround us in a little whipping of wind. We moved through methodically, and I used every power at my disposal to find the two younglings. And eventually, a long while later, we did. They were dark, covered by the grass as they laid limp on the ground, skin ashen and pale, various limbs being scarred with angry welts and the scorn of the red-hot.

Whisper batted with the red-hot as I carefully grasped the torn remains of Amelia's leg-fur, pulling her free from the wreckage as my powers pushed the log up. She looked ill, worse then she did a minute ago, and I knew we had to get the both of them out of here.

Their injuries were dire.. and I had the gut-wrenching feeling that this wasn't going to turn out well. I pished her limp body clear of the fumes and the red-hot, before turning back to her brother, who was trapped underneath a fallen tree, edges black and its life dead and fleeting.

"_**Whisper- on three, help me push the log up."**_

She nodded, coughing and hacking a little as the smoke irritated her lungs, with my lungs following closely in pursuit. I stood at one end, so that I was facing Amelia at all times, as I lowered myself to the floor so I was looking up at the log. Whisper positioned herself so she was facing me, and her eyes were fixated on the log, pulsing with power.

Her pale fur swirling in the air like leaves, and her claws digging ever so slightly through the ground. I trusted Whisper with her powers to an extreme extent, as she had been the one who had practised independently, and as such almost had absolute control.

"_**1...2…3"**_

Purple crawled up the log, bulging out and becoming a tangible thing, gathering at the base. As my power became more concentrated, supporting the strain of the log with ease, the wind snaked underneath the small gap, pushing up. My shadows curled up, twisting around and around in the representation of a tree trunk, thickening.

With one push, we sent the tree trunk skidding over to the side, quickly becoming encapsulated in the hungry red-hot. My powers dissolved quickly as the wind returned to a passive sphere around us, as Whisper dived in and snagged his hand, pulling him out. We positioned him onto my back, as I secured him with my powers, creating loose bands of shadow to hold him in place, as my daughter took Amelia, securing her with braces of wind.

With no consciousness, there was no chance they could hold on themselves, and walking slowly wasn't an option. We both broke into a sprint, backtracking to where my Mate was, hoping that the two younglings on our backs would hold on. I would not have them stop being-walking because they were harmed trying to save us.

* * *

We were in our hastily dug Den, a long distance away. The limp forms of Amelia and Arthur's were in one of the main rooms we had- my pups and my Mate had- dug out, faces still ashen. Their heads were hot, like the red-hot was lingering around their heads.

Torrent kept dampening their heads a little, while also making the stone slabs around them cold and soothing. If I had to rank their skill with controlling their powers, Torrent would have the second-best control, making delicate shapes and swirls with ease. Their hearts were slowing, bit by bit, and none of the remedies I knew were working on them.

We'd exhausted all of our options, and I was beginning to think that I was going to watch these younglings die. That night, I was curled up around Breeze, sitting quietly and absorbed in my thoughts, as she groomed me from head to toe, something she liked to do for me. It was something I had missed out on growing up.

"_**Shadow."**_

I turned to face her, tilting my head slightly as I listened for the echoes of any stirring beings, human or wolf. The smell of ash still lingered around us, haunting us and reminding us with their ever-presence that we had lost our original home, because of the humans. It was yet another reason to hate humans. With their greed and their selfishness, they had just about killed two of their own. I licked Breeze on her muzzle, admiring her fur silently, as she looked at me with pitying eyes.

"_**Have you tried using your mother's powers?"**_

I shook my head, casting my eyes towards where the two younglings were laying. I resisted the urge to go to them, spend their last moments with them, reassure them somehow that I would not let their sacrifice go in vain. I would avenge them, even if blackmail was rarely a courtesy we could indulge.

"_**I do not know what it can do, nor how I could use it. It's wily, unlike my own power which coexists within me. It is not mine, and I have no idea if it will listen to me, nor what I could do with it."**_

The look in her eyes as she turned to face the room where the two younglings were was familiar. It was, after all, the look she wore when she was looking at our own pups. It seemed she'd adopted them as her own, for better or for worse, regardless of the fact that they were human. They had saved our lives, which was one of the ultimate trials of loyalty.

Giving up on gathering any sleep, I stood up, shaking my fur off. I sighed, looking at her with adoration in my eyes. I'd do anything for my mate, and she knew that. She never took advantage of it.. and I couldn't deny her the one thing she'd ask me for.

"_**I'll try my best. But I make no promises."**_

She looked at me, head on her paws for a brief moment, before she made to follow me. There was no telling what my mother's powers would do, and I would not have my mate in the firing line. I chuffed, before running my rough tongue along her cheek, pushing her down ever so slightly She needed her rest after the days events.

"_**I don't know what will happen. You need to rest. I'll handle this."**_

She looked like she wanted to argue, but I fixed her with my best glare. She _would _stay here. Regardless of what she wanted. Her and the Pups safety was my priority, and I couldn't afford for any of my pack to get hurt. I bared my teeth, hollow of a threat, and she laid back down once she realised I was as serious as I could be about it.

After confirming she would stay there, I made my way through to the room where I had been spending most of my waking moments, outside of hunting and caring for the pups. I stood between the two of their limp forms and allowed my powers to expand outside me, lining the walls and roof of the room with a purple haze.

I opened my eyes, pulsing with power and the hum of my shadows echoing around me as the walls thickened, no longer becoming see-through. The corridors of the Den became obscured by purple, and continued to thicken until I was certain that nothing was getting through it. Then I reached deep within myself, past my powers which responded to my presence with an eager coo.

I pushed it away gently, before diving even deeper to the power that had lingered within me for so long. It responded cautiously to my touch, carefully nudging my prod, as I pulled it out. Where my shadows were cold, the other power was warm, where my shadows were methodical, the other power was playful, teasing, eager to please.

Bringing it up to the surface, small blades of grass sprouted around my paws, as my eyes became even brighter, small wisps of power jumping throughout my fur like the wind. My claws dug deep into the earth, as the foreign power asked me what I wanted. Using the experience I had with my powers, I branched down below, connecting a path between the two Pups and me. Happily, it ran across to them, brushing around my own power without interacting with it.

_Heal them._

I pleaded, almost desperately pleading for them to be safe. They (the powers) seemed accepting, but before they set out to hopefully do what I asked them, they turned to face me once again, a question inevitable amongst the nature of the powers. It was like they were sentient, a being, but they also weren't at the same time.

_We can. But there will be a cost. Are you ready to accept it?_

I nodded without thinking twice. There was no verbal answer, but they turned and disappeared into the two limp younglings, their forms becoming surrounded in a green light. There was a hum of energy as I felt frozen to the ground, feeling drained as the power leeched off of me and into the pups.

_So he has said, so it shall be done. Whatever the son of the Mistress commands, shall be done. But with deals come consequences, and not all of them good. Yet so it shall be done._

There was a quiet resignation left, as the power continued to leech out of me, yet I stood steadfast against it all, my determination or my powers never wavering in the slightest. It would all be worth it in the end if my Mate was happy, and after today's events, I think we all needed some happiness.

* * *

Notes

Red-hot – Fire

being-walking - living

* * *

Author's Note

Hii everyone!

Hope you guys are all doing well. I'm exhausted. I have maths homework due for tomorrow that I'm stuck on, have two major tests coming up, and I'm working four days next week. On the upside, tomorrow is Friday. That's super optimistic for me.

QOTW: What's a guilty pleasure song you like to listen to? I think for me it might be Taylor Swift's old album _Fearless, _or maybe Skillet. I'm not overly fond of Skillet, but there are several songs I do like. I'm also fond of _Legends Never Die, _by Against the Current.

Anyway, I need to attempt to finish this maths homework, so I'll see you all next week!

~Cait


	36. Chapter 36 - Heartbeat Song

I, I wasn't even gonna go out  
But I never would have had a doubt  
If I have known where I'd be now

Until tonight I only dreamed about you  
I can't believe I ever breathed without you  
Baby, you make me feel alive and brand new  
Bring it one more time, one more time 

This is my heartbeat song and I'm gonna play it  
Been so long I forgot how to turn it up up up up all night long  
Oh up up all night long  
This is my heartbeat song and I'm gonna play it

Heartbeat Song, by Kelly Clarkson, from the album Heartbeat Song, released in 2015

* * *

The cost I suffered that day was a severe one. I had sacrificed some of my life to save the two younglings. That sounds incomprehensible when you considered I haven't aged in millennia, but it makes a lot of sense in terms of things. It depended on perspective. For since it couldn't take part of my life span, it sapped my strength instead.

I will never be as strong as I was back then because the process took my strength and transferred it into my pups. And while I had no regrets, that sapping of strength had possibly contributed to one of the most horrific events of my life, other than the former genocide that still haunted me to this day.

Shaking that off, I trotted to the designated spot, where we were obscured enough so that the innocent tribe members couldn't see us, but where we could easily see the proceedings. I quickly organised my ragtag group of pups into something resembling an order- tallest at the back, smallest at the front, and I was at the side. The scents of sadness, of anger, of remorse and regret, lingered in the air, and I looked down at the overhang, watching what the human's called 'a casket' be carried in.

It was different from our form of burial- we believed in burying them so they could be reintegrated into the earth- but we sat and watched regardless. There was a weird song being sung, in one of the other languages that I had no experience with. I couldn't even begin to comprehend what they were singing about, but I could see several people who I recognised in the front row. Strawberry was in a deep brown dress, so dark it almost appeared as if it was black.

Around her neck was a fang, barely visible from the distance, and she was sat next to Curved, hand in hand. It seemed that the two mates had gotten back together, and I was happy for them. Amongst everything, I was glad they were happy. Curved was wearing a black suit, as were many other's in the ceremony. The minister went to the front at a pew and starting talking about Harry, as several in the rows began to cry, their tears landing silently on the ground.

"Today we come to mourn Harry Clearwater, doting husband of Sue Clearwater, and father to Seth and Leah Clearwater. Throughout the sermon, friends and relatives of Harry will come up to recount various fond memories that they share with him."

I watched the funeral with a mild sense of curiosity, watching as they mourned their lost one in their way, however weird that may seem to us. My pups were sitting quietly, watching with various degrees of interest, but I could not blame them for their lack of mourning for a man they had never met.

But he was still a member of the Pack, albeit it distantly, and we had to show respect. The woman I recognised as Harry's Mate, a kindly woman by the name of Sue, went up to the pew after being guided up by Strawberry's father, and turned to face the audience, tears escaping from her eyes like naughty pups from the Den.

"I was married to Harry for 27 years. He was everything I wanted in a husband, and more. He was the one who I had my darling children with, he was the one who strove to keep me, his children, and all of the tribe safe. He was a brave man, with a big heart."

I cast my look to the two younglings in question, the grey she-wolf, and the naive sandy wolf. Tears were dripping down their face, and I nuzzled Honour, who was leaning into me, hiding her pale white in my neat locks. Perhaps locks wasn't the best word.

Still, in her bright blue eyes, piercing despite her shy nature, her eyes fixated on the sandy wolf, for whatever reason. But I recognised that look. And I knew it well, especially with all my years of experience.

My little one, my darling little daughter who had ever so rarely spoken, had just found her Heart. At a terrible time, no less. But then again, such things could not be predicted. I licked her ear as she fought to turn her eyes away from her Heart, an act that was not easy for anyone.

"_**It's okay, Honour. You've found your Heart."**_

I groomed her fur, trying to soothe her as she buried her head into my chest. None of her siblings commented as they continued to watch the funeral taking place as if nothing had ever happened. The sandy wolf- although I'd better start referring to him as his name considering he will be kin soon- _Timber-Pine-Forest-_ hadn't yet seen Honour, so the Heart was not complete.

But I had no doubts that it would be complete. I wasn't expecting her to speak- considering I could count on one paw how many words she'd said- that I had been present for, anyway.

"_**I'll talk to the Alpha, introduce you two at some point. But not now, not at his father's funeral."**_

She nodded a little, still mostly hidden in my fur, as I turned my attention back to the ceremony, looking at the change in order with a sideways glance. Sue had returned to her seat, weeping on Timber as he supported her weight. He looked like he was trying to keep a strong image, but there were still a few tears escaping his eyes.

Honour silently thanked me for my efforts, and I continued to give her a wolf equivalent of what the human's called 'a hug'. Once the Minister gave some sort of speech, and the family put their hands on the coffin, bowing their heads in a sign of respect. I threw my head back and howled, a chorus saved for a fallen wolf, and we believed that this chorus would serve as a guide to whatever was after.

As I leaned forward, my neck thrown in the air as a loud and high pitched croon sounded, my pups all stood forwards and imitated my action, until it was one loud chorus cutting through the air. For one brief moment, the whole of the forest become united as one, as I saw the human-borns resist the urge to join in.

The chorus continued before it wavered off as the family began to file out. I turned to my pups, before turning away. I had one more visit to make, and a scheme to formulate.

I detested being in this form. And honestly, it wasn't necessary. But to be able to speak to Curved- sorry, _Jacob and Bella- _I had to adopt this form. Could I have waited? Perhaps. But for every second that the two new imprints were apart, my daughter was in pain, and I didn't want that. Which was how I found myself in this situation.

I was in the form I thought I'd never been in again. My fur was lingering underneath what the human's called skin, my nails short and deliberately not sharp, and I had been forced into this stance. The only bit of my fur visible was a tuft on my head, a mishmash blend of colours that further distinguished me from the humans. That was ignoring the different coloured eyes, and the human-like pup hanging onto my arm.

At least I could use the excuse of she couldn't speak- although that was technically a lie- to cover her barely hidden growl every time she spoke. Syllables in the main human language were difficult, and it was a very tough job to spit out sounds without the rough growl accompanying it. They were too busy dancing to notice my approach, but with Honour practically melding into my side, and her heart singing for the one who it chose, time was increasingly counting down.

The last thing we wanted was for the two hearts to meet right now, not whilst his heart was still grieving. Even though we were born differently to our fellow wolves, we do have a sense of opportunity. You might also ask why they were dancing. Truthfully, while I was not 100% sure, I had an instinctive feeling that it was something to do with one of their tribes' 'traditions'.

Although why you would dance while mourning someone is unknown to me, but it was rather a slow dance if it were left up to my interpretation. Sad eyes were focused on their corresponding partners, the dance slow, and almost melancholic, compared to the life-jumping ones I had seen before. I nudged Honour alongside me, as we waited for the dance to break.

A time to share memories with your parents- I heard the humans whispering- a time to remember. Nobody outside the Tribe could truly understand, and I found myself agreeing with that statement. With a delicate, brisk pace, that I had perfected in the many times I had been forced to skin-walk.

"Excuse me, Jacob, Bella?"

My voice still sounded raw to even my ears, and it didn't sound quite right for a human of my appearance. Their names rolled around my tongue oddly, the syllables foreign and untouched in my mouth. The two human-borne in question turned around at the sound of my voice, each pair of eyes laden with both a silent question and unshed tears.

I could see both of them take a subtle sniff, trying to see where they recognised my scent from before Bella looked at me with a silent question. We seemed to be getting a lot of those- then again, they weren't used to me in this form since I loathed it so much.

"Shadow?"

She asked her voice a quiet thing, soft and delicate. She had healed up well since she had been injured and looked to be in as good in health as she could at this point. While still skinny enough for her bones to stick to her skin, all the bandages had come off by now, with only a few scars visible, only if you concentrated.

It was easy to see that Jacob was enamoured by her, focusing intently on her for the entire time I had been observing. I dipped my head, before moving my arm to reveal Honour, who hadn't spoken a word. Since our human forms reflected what our age would be in their years, she looked to be about six. A side effect of my mother's magic was that once we hit maturity, we would be frozen at that age.

So while I and my pups had been around for millions of cycles at this point, this was why I still looked like I had seen sixteen cycles. And that was why Honour looked six in human years, compared to her actual age. A sixteen-year-old and a six-year-old were a peculiar sight at an event like this, but with her slightly tanned skin, she didn't look too abnormal.

I could just about pass as Quileute. Jacob looked around quickly, but everyone had shuffled over to the side, talking in hushed quiet tones much like we were.

"Is Victoria here?"

I shook my head no. I gestured a little sideways, indicating towards Honour, who had poked her head out a little. I bit down a soft croon- wary of listening ears- and cleared my throat.

"This is my daughter- Honour. She's- what's your word for it, _Imprinted- _on Seth."

Both pairs of eyes simultaneously cleared of tears, looking at me with a sense of shock and disbelief. At the sound of her name, she nosed out of her spot for a little while, before deciding it was much safer to just stay hidden.

"I think-"

Bella began, looking off at the back of Seth for a moment, Honour's eyes following hers. She drew her eyes back to ours, her hand joining with Jacob's as she began to speak, a kind of authority showing in her hazel eyes.

"-We might have a lot to talk about."

* * *

Victoria's POV

She prowled through the undergrowth, the grass parting slowly but silently as she observed her prey. It was a necessary task, this, for her to truly get her revenge. While it was not a good time to be away from her developing army, needs must, and she needed something to drive those instinct-driven mutts crazy.

It was a risky job indeed, and as much as she loathed to handle this part, there was nobody else she could trust to handle it. Which left her in this scenario. The Cullens- the vampires that did not drink human blood, an abomination her army cried- had migrated to Scotland, the grey country that sang their stupid songs and played their droning instruments. It was by far, her least favourite place.

Still, there was to be a little torment left for that bitch- for surely she could not be completely over her former mate? Her heart yearned and longed for James' caress, his gentle touch upon her, and she missed him as though they had been apart mere moments instead of almost a year. It would take a monster much crueller than her to completely forget their mate. Which led her to here.

It was overcast, and during her watching of the Cullens, she knew there was a hunting trip due today, so they could co-exist amongst the humans with their honey-dew eyes. While she left that naive little boy- Riley- to watch over her army, the boy being so enamoured with her he would do anything to please her, she brought her shield, her sense-dismantled, and her scout.

A different one this time. One was to hide all of their thoughts from the mind-reader and the psychic. It would be no fun after all if they could ruin the surprise. Next, her scout, with the ability to go invisible at will, he could easily sneak upon them, none of them being any the wiser to his presence. And finally, the sense dismantler. A vampire's senses were the best thing in their arsenal, but without them, they were crippled. Weak. _Vulnerable_.

Her gift was much like Alec's, in the sense that the vampire or human or shifter was thrown into complete silence, from both the mind, sound, and sight. Nothing was getting in or out. However, instead of the tumultuous and unsubtle smog that he was associated with, she just had to send her power around her, and it would autonomously seek out the intended target.

With her plan set, they got into position, and waited, not daring to move for fear of disturbing the _vegetarians. _She bit back a hiss of disgust. It did not take long for the three men, the scarred one from the wars, the tall and stupid one, and finally, her target, the mind reader.

"I've always wanted to try a highland cow!"

The tall one exclaimed as the three vampires stood in a circle, the mind reader looking distracted before his attention was drawn back, his face shrivelling up in what looked like disgust.

"I really didn't need to see you in _that _position with Rose, Emmett."

The tall one shrugged, looking to the war Leech as he smiled a little, a crooked grin that looked more mischievous then kindly. In reality, Victoria knew all of their names, but she just could not be bothered to make the effort to learn them.

The war leech spoke up for the first time in the conversation, his accent a clear contrast to the others. Victoria signalled for her posse to be ready, and crouched down further herself, the leaves bending around her form as she listened to their conversation, seemingly carefree.

"They'll taste just like normal cows, Emmett. Plus, you can't find them in the wild, dumbass."

The war one seemed exasperated, rolling his eyes, but turned to face the mind-reader, who looked exhausted. Or as exhausted as a vampire could look, considering their lack of ability to sleep. _Don't tell me the abominations can do that now too? _She couldn't help but mutter sarcastically inside her head, watching as the three brothers- _brothers, she spat again, with disapproval, as if vampires could ever have a family- _finally finished their debate, with the mind reader answering a silent question.

"No, I'm not moping Jasper. No Emmett, you _will not _kidnap a highland cow, and _no, _I am not making any visits to the Volturi anytime soon. They would just bring themselves down on Bella, and I think we've messed up- for lack of a polite term- her life enough"

They lapsed into silence, not thinking too much about what was said. Victoria, however, was thinking on it a lot, and to her, it confirmed all she thought. The mind-reader _did _still love the bitch. And surely the bitch wasn't dumb enough to stay with the dog, rather than a beautiful vampire, right? She didn't think the bitch was stupid, but it didn't lessen her anger towards her.

"Whatever. I'm going to go hunt some cows."

'Emmett' disappeared quickly, nothing but a small upturn of dirt signifying his path. 'Jasper' rolled his eyes, before disappearing after him, with mind-reader having a small smile on his face before it rapidly downturned. As Victoria gave the signal to start the attack, she dwelled on working with Edward.

It had been an enjoyable experience, mainly because the fool was too sick with that damned virus to give her any orders, and was too love-struck to not follow her. Of course, she knew about what the disease did- and she predicted the race to cure him- but there was something poetic about one's supposed love hurting them.

Still, as Edward swivelled around sharply, eyes seeing but unseeing, not recognising the danger he was in, she decided it wasn't worth thinking about- because he meant nothing to her in the end- and the ends justified the means.

* * *

Author's Note

Hi everyone!

How are you all today? I'm stressed beyond belief, with studying and prelims and exams and various other things. Sounds fun, right?

Fun fact: half of this chapter was typed on my phone, at my work, in the middle of a shopping centre (a mall, for those who aren't sure what a shopping centre) in the freezing Scottish weather.

Now, I probably should be studying, so I'll ask my question then leave.

QOTW: What is something you feel is underappreciated? For me, as I answered in TSOTSC, I played this game called 999 when I was a kid. It gave me nightmares when I was younger, and I didn't quite understand it at the time, but going back now, I happen to really enjoy it, even if I question the localisation at some times.

Some day, I'm going to play the sequels!

Anyway, thanks for all the reviews, and like and follows, I really appreciate it!

~Cait


	37. Chapter 37 - Awake and Alive

Here, right here  
Right now, right now  
Stand my ground and never back down  
I know what I believe inside  
I'm awake and I'm alive

I'm at war with the world cause I  
Ain't never gonna sell my soul  
I've already made up my mind  
No matter what I can't be bought or sold

When my faith is getting weak  
And I feel like giving in  
You breathe into me again

Awake and Alive, by Skillet, from the album Awake, released in 2009

* * *

There was something satisfying about the Cullen's current state that greatly enthused Victoria. It was a common belief amongst many of their kind that having any part of their body burnt would kill them instantly. But that was simply false. Through some _testing _of her own, she'd found that out, and it brought a sardonic smile to her face.

Killing Edward- as he had been spitting out ever since she'd given the girl permission to lax on her powers- was not vengeful enough for her, no, this would be the ultimate punishment. Looking over at her army, who were _almost, almost _ready for the war that she was about to initiate, she looked over to where Edward was, on the floor.

He seemed to have _lost _a little bit of himself. Victoria was not one for humour, finding no place for it in the world, but even she found it amusing. The situation he was in was quite dire after all.. and it saved her from having someone to watch her. Because how could he escape if he had no body?

With those short tempers that those Mutts had, there was no doubt that this would drive her over the edge. Edward's eyes, black and looking like he was twisted in mental agony, looked to her with a scowl plastered firmly there.

"She has no love for me any more. Your plan will never work."

A grin fixed itself upon Victoria's face as she bared her teeth in a mocking gesture, turning her eyes away from his as she fixed them upon her army. Powers of all shapes and sizes, of all abilities, were gathered here, and with her army of 100, it was more than enough to take them down. It was regrettable that she was unable to turn more to her cause, but the humans were gaining suspicion, and it would do her no good to draw the attention of the Volturi now.

"She will not be saying that once I present you to her. She will be so angered that she will be unable to resist lunging for me, and it is then we will strike."

No matter how much he would needle, he would never find out more of her plans. That was a quick way to get your plans gate-crashed, and she was nowhere near stupid enough to fall for that.

Turning away, she looked over at the naive Riley, who was quickly becoming her trusted- well not quite trusted- but most loyal ally out of them all, too blinded by their 'love' to ever question it. Loyal to a fault, and stupid enough to not realise she didn't love him- he was the perfect kind of person to manipulate into doing her bidding.

"That may be so. But it will hurt her either way- and that's what I'm aiming for. It's not like you can do anything."

He averted his eyes as far down as he could, before looking up and glaring at her. She may or may not have been fantasising about how satisfying it had been to tear off and burn his limbs, and what it would be like doing that to Bella. He spat at her, which hit her knee since he wasn't tall enough any more to get it near her.

"She will make you pay. There is no love there for me anymore, and I do not blame her for holding hatred for me after what I have done, but she will make you pay for what you did to Harry."

"I look forward to it."

* * *

"So what you're saying is that your daughter has imprinted on Seth, but he hasn't on her, _yet."_

I nodded in the affirmative. Loyal stuck her head out once again, her eyes matching Bella's and Jacob's as Bella crouched down. Bella's form was carefully controlled, not appearing as dominating or aggressive, just as a concerned party.

"Hello, little one. Is it okay if I call you that? I hear you've Imprinted on someone very special."

She ducked her head shyly, tugging on my sleeve- I'd had the sense to bring one change of clothes for all of us, to prepare for a worst-case scenario- before fixing her bright blue eyes on Bella's. Nodding slowly, she outstretched her paw- her hand- which Bella took slowly, shaking it up and down.

Her eyes subverted a little before she looked around a little, and she got that look where she was wanting to disappear. While I don't think she was intending to be disrespectful to the Alpha, I nudged her gently to draw her attention back to the conversation at hand. There was something amusing about Bella referring to my daughter, who was several millennia older than her, 'little one' but if we went by her human form, then she did look very young.

"She doesn't talk much does she?"

Jacob remarked, before getting elbowed by Bella in a gesture which caused him some physical pain. His face twisted in response to the pain, before he looked at her again, this time wisely staying silent, for the fear of incurring Bella's wrath.

"Not that it matters. Now, Shadow- we need to introduce them at some point.. but we can't do it now for the sake of Seth and his family. So, here's my plan.."

* * *

A few days had passed since the remembrance of Timber's father, and it was a few days I'd spent doing some things I hadn't been able to do for a long time. The first thing I did was go hunting with my eldest quadruplets. It would take more than I could hunt myself to feed all of us, and I did not wish to rely on the human-borns too much.

Hunting was a past time we did a lot when they were young, but when I had travelled away... well, it had become a sorrowful one for me. But for now, I had high hopes that it would become an enjoyable experience yet again. The rest of my pups were entertaining themselves, old enough to do so, despite their physical appearance.

We looked like a band of brothers rather than a pack. We had travelled north to hunt, but not so far as to have to drag our prey home a long distance. Ember, like his name-sake, still had some underlying anger towards me and my actions, and I could not fault him for that. I had hurt him and his siblings a lot, and I did not deserve their forgiveness.

The fact that he was willing to talk to me at all was reward enough for me. He need not forgive me just because I was his kin- for even kin could hurt. Bright looked at me as we walked, golden eyes lingering between me and her brother. They did not stay that way for long, because she then turned to face her sister, who was walking with a prideful air. Being firstborn, and also being expected to look after your siblings from a young age would do that to someone.

_**"What were you doing when you left us, Papa?"**_

That was a tough question, and not in the sense that I didn't know. However much displeasure I had about discussing the topic, I knew it wasn't equal to anything in exchange for what my pups no doubt felt when I suddenly left them one day.

They were old enough then, yes, to look after themselves, but I should not have left them so soon after the death of Breeze. With no kin of mine to look after them, the quadruplets were forced to look after the others. I sighed, stilling for a brief moment as the four pups of mind turned to look at me.

Whisper, with her eyes like mine, vibrant yet serious, and her lighter-then-sky fur; Torrent, with his dark-sky-grey fur, with bright sky-like blue eyes; Bright, golden eyes to go with her sandy coloured fur, which she got from her mother's side; and finally, Ember, his sable-russet fur burning like the red-hot, his dark-sunlike eyes being his defining feature. With a heavy reluctance, and knowing that they did need to know what I did for all those years, I got to telling my tale.

_**"I... I went after the people who made your mother stop being-walking. Anger clouded my heart, along with the vengeance of a thousand wolves."**_

_**"Is that all?"**_

Bright remarked, looking at me with a tilted head. Her sense of humour could be dire sometimes, but I could tell she was trying to make us feel light-hearted. Or at least, more so. Ember snapped at her emptily, as Bright neatly side-stepped, looking at her brother with a heavy look. I held my tongue in response to his antagonising attitude and shook my head. No, that hadn't been all I'd done that day. I'd done far, far worse, to the extent where I could remember it in vivid detail.

_**"No.. what I did.. it bares something indescribable. To this day, I have regrets, that it should not have gone down the way it did."**_

_**"You have regrets about avenging our MOTHER?"**_

Ember snapped, his hot-headed nature rearing its head yet again. We had no idea who he had gotten that particular trait from, considering I'd always had a fairly even nature, and Breeze was even easier going, but it didn't make much difference in the ways of things.

_**"No, I do not. You may forget, but she was my Mate. I loved her then, and I always will. No, I regret the way I went about it... I was a demon in a wolf's skin."**_

Anger lingered throughout my body like a blaze of fur. My Mate's dying words had set me off into an indescribable rage I hadn't felt since I was but a pup. The humans who persecuted us had no mercy, no mercy for a mother wolf simply trying to protect her kin, and they slaughtered her without a hint of remorse.

They attacked us even quicker than the last time, the attack sudden and non-suspect, and with no Arthur and Amelia to save us this time, we were unprepared. Saving our pups was no easy task, not with how efficiently they had trapped us in our Den.

Since I was the most efficient at tunnelling, my Mate had used her no-nonsense tone of voice to force me to start tunnelling. My oldest pups helped me, while also keeping the rest of their siblings as calm as they could be, so they didn't run around panicking, into the hands of a suspecting human with sharp claw-like weapons. I used small projectiles of my shadows to blow small holes into the tunnel, making it smaller and easier to break into.

The rock was solid, and it took a fair few swipes and blasts for it to break, but the fear of losing what was left of my kin was enough to spur me into action. It took me far longer than I would've liked to break through the rubble, almost enough for the sun-turn to meld into the moon-turn, but by the time they did, I was just about ready to hurtle back through the tunnels, intent on aiding my Mate and making it safe for my pups.

I turned to Whisper, her lighter-then-sky fur coated with a cloud of fine brown dust, before giving her instructions as I turned to bolt down the tunnel and to the top, which I hoped would still be uncovered.

"_**Get your siblings far, far away from here! I'm going to help your mother!"**_

She picked up one of her siblings by the scruff of their neck- I had no time to turn and see- and began to order them all up the makeshift tunnel, and out into something that would be a safer area. She would make a good Alpha one day, with how effectively she managed to coerce and cajole her siblings. I sprinted down the tunnel, paws pushing into the ground and my chest panting with exertion, as I attempted to find her.

The bond was faint, and I could feel her tiredness yet resilience leak through in small bursts, and I did not wish to distract her with my own emotions. Moving out of the tunnel and into the large dugout we had called our walking-area for not very long, I ignored the strewn bits of fur and instead made for the exit, which wasn't too far from where I was.

Bursting out of the hole with a furious aura, I saw my Mate not too far dancing with a group of about six humans, with countless more emerging from the dense woodland. Accompanying their sullied and bloody scent was the smell of Vampire, two scents I had learned to despise when mixed.

Each on their own was bad enough, but when the two species merged, chaos and murder would take place. I barrelled into the side of a human who was trying to attack Breeze- well, one of many I suppose- and bit deeply into their side, drawing some of their life-essence. This group, despite having the surprise advantage and more numbers, were a lot easier to take down, since they lacked that thick-skin that the other's had.

I snarled warningly, my fur bristling of its own accord as my shadows leapt and lurched around me, wrapping themselves around me and my Mate, before sending several spikes out, nearly catching a few unsuspecting humans as they circled us.

"_**Are the pups?!.."**_

I cut off her sentence with a brief nod, before firing a ball of shadow at one of the humans. I had no idea where the Vampire was, but I was doing my best to watch, to make sure they didn't get the drop on us. Not that it made much difference in the end.

I ducked as one attempted to strike me with his bare hands, before lurching and clamping down on the hand, eliciting a scream of pain from the owner. Discarding it quickly, I turned to one who was attempting to slash Breeze, before slamming my paws down on the ground and channelling my shadows to spike him through the chest.

He fell, just as I quickly moved to the side to dodge another strike, this kind armed with some kind of detachable claw thing, which managed to catch my side, drawing blood. I hissed in pain, before snarling, lunging at him with a leap and wrapping my jaws around his jugular, crushing it with one good bite.

I swallowed down the taste of blood, spitting out the bit of his flesh, as I turned to Breeze her again, her normally splodged fur being coated in a red and crimson haze. Her fangs were much the same, eyes narrowed and with a hard glint. Though generally a compassionate creature, in this case, when it came to her family, Breeze held no bars.

We continued fighting like that until it was just a few humans left, and I falsely assumed we had one, and everything would be fine after all. I let myself indulge in that one bit of naivety, and I paid the price for it. I heard an ungodly screech of pain, along with the harsh throbbing sensation of agony being sent through the bond, and I immediately wasted no time in decapitating the human I was currently mauling and turned towards my mate in anxiety.

The two humans were dead, bite marks evident as heir cause of death, but my mate was limp, twitching, her back legs spasming and the grass around her becoming flooded with blood. Dashing over to her, I saw nothing but the imprints of pain in her eyes, clouded and foggy as they were, as her screeches cut off into whined and whimpers.

I'd never seen her like this ever, and it scared me more than I could describe. I licked her on her muzzle, and for the briefest moment, her eyes cleared, matching mine. I tried to figure out what the cause of her fatal injury was, in hopes I could heal it with my mother's powers or do _something _to help, but that was until I licked away some of the blood, which revealed a very small, but very evident, bite wound.

And it was no bite wound of a human, and there was only one thing that could incapacitate and cause as much agony as she was currently in- a Vampire's bite.

"_**Shadow- no, Whisper."**_

Her voice sounded old and tired, weary and pain-filled with every sentence uttered. I judged her, hoping to exhibit some physical response other than the mental one I was currently getting.

For a brief moment, I thought that she was simply confused- but then I realised she meant my actual name. My birth name, the one I had been given and had forgotten so long ago. Everybody, even the pups knew me as Shadow, and only Breeze was the one to know about my backstory, about why my firstborn was named the way she was.

"_**Yes, my Heart?"**_

There was a choked chuckle coming from her, as she raised her eyes a little to match mine, even as her heartbeat began to slow. They narrowed in unspeakable pain- the agony indescribable- before she managed to force them back open.

"_**You and I both know that isn't true, but I appreciate the gesture. Listen, look after our kin- they will need the shelter and warmth- and please, don't shut your heart back up again. I know-"**_

She spluttered, her form convulsing for one brief moment before going still her again, and her tongue lolled and pale. I nudged her, despite knowing that she was doomed the minute she got bit and the poison got into her bloodstream. I could still hope though.

"_**It will be difficult, and you will want revenge, I do not begrudge you that. But don't become closed off Whisper- you are still able to move past me. Cherish the memories we have instead of the wolf you lost. And finally.."**_

Her voice was quiet, soft, and hesitant. It was a tone she used when she didn't want to tell me something. I softened my eyes as they leaked water, not bothering to hide the emotion for my mate.

"_**Please could you put me out of my misery Alpha"**_

I coughed and looked at her. I didn't want to do this! But she never called me Alpha, and she would never ask me to do something like that if she wasn't in a deadly situation. The poison would linger, staying in her veins, and it would be an agonisingly slow death. Feeling a churning pool in my stomach, I carefully placed my jaw around her neck, dampening her feelings with my powers.

"**I love you, Whisper."**

"**And I, you Breeze. You brought out the best in me."**

I bowed my head, and with a heavy heart and equally heavy dread, closed my jaw. The sad thing was that I couldn't even keep to what she had asked me to do- and even as I killed her by my own paw, I betrayed all I promised to her. And that would hurt more than her actual death.

* * *

Life-essence - blood

* * *

Author's Note

Hi guys! I'm actually writing this ahead since by the time I will be posting it, I will be at a winter ball.

And doubly so, I've got to write this quick since I have to get ready. So, Uhm, I'll reply to all of your reviews hopefully tomorrow, and since I won't see you until boxing day, I'll wish it here now.

HAVE A GOOD CHRISTMAS!

QOTW: What is your favourite thing about Christmas?

See you all on boxing day!

**Edit: My ball actually got shut down, so I'm home far more earlier then I intended to be. Such is the life of s teenager apparently.**

~A festive bookworm


	38. Chapter 38 - It's Time

I don't ever want to let you down  
I don't ever want to leave this town  
'Cause after all  
This city never sleeps at night 

It's time to begin, isn't it?  
I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit  
I'm just the same as I was  
Now don't you understand  
I'm never changing who I am 

So this is where you fell  
And I am left to sell  
The path to heaven runs through miles of clouded hell right to the top  
Don't look back  
Turning to rags and giving the commodities a rain check

It's Time, by Imagine Dragons, from the album Night Visions, released in 2012

* * *

I obeyed my Mate's wishes for several sun-turns, pushing back the loss, and cherishing the wonderful Pups we had together. They should have been the first thing on my mind, but I was consumed with the unbridled anger that I could not quench. It built on me, ate at me like the red-hot that had consumed our homes, and no matter what I did, I could not douse it.

There was another emotion I felt that was almost as powerful- grief. I cared for my pups the best I could, hunting and feeding and grooming, relocating quicker then we did once before, and I educated them on how to care for themselves. Where I could, I helped them with their powers, and I kept the spirit of their mother alive. I told them how we met, how we hunted, and that she loved them all very much.

In every one of my pups, I saw Breeze, and sometimes it hurt my very soul, but in the others, I realise how lucky I was to have my kin. The Den was hustling and bustling, the younger pups playing and tugging on one another, some practising with their powers- it was not uncommon to see balls of light hanging around the Den or Spirit seemingly conversing with someone who wasn't there.

I sat outside the Den, simply watching the grass sway around us, watching Honour shift through forms as Forge tried to pounce on her with hardened blue fur. I knew someone was after me- and I thought I had dealt with the problem a long time ago- but I hadn't. And the fact that I'd thought I'd dealt with it, resulted in my Mate's death, and the partial orphaning of my Pups.

That guilt was something that I couldn't shake.. and I felt like I was just feigning happy families. I needed to go and deal with that enemy before any more harm came to those I loved. So, with a sickening feeling churning in my stomach, I set my date of departure for four sun-turns. As I cast my eyes back to my Pups, frolicking happily, I was hit with a wave of sadness. I was going to regret this.. but their safety was paramount.

* * *

My first act of vengeance, to satiate my anger, was to kill those humans who had hunted us down as though we were lesser beings. Though I had waited for several sun-turns, their scent was fresh, lingering much like my vengeance was. It clung to the brambles, the branches, the grass and the trees, and it made it incredibly simple to find their dwelling.

Tall buildings loomed over the bushes, blazing as they were lit up with the red-hot. The sounds of the human-language reverberated around, sounding relaxed and unconcerned, absorbed in their own selfish world, uncaring of the lives they were ruining. There were no younglings around that I could see, and I watched with a barely restrained growl as they moved with no destination in mind, dragging corpses of fellow forest-dwellers, exposing their life-essence through deep gouges and cuts inflicted by their not-quite-claws.

My shadows draped around me, making me invisible amongst the shrubs despite the light of the sun-turn, and I watched with tension coiling up in my body. I stayed frozen in that position for a decent amount of time, waiting for all of them to slumber. It was then that I would strike but also when I would make my greatest regret.

* * *

_The wolf slunk out of the shadows, silently padding through the village. The darkness encased him like a blanket, hiding him from view as he chose which house to enter first. Angry he may be, but he would not dare lay a paw on any female or child, because they had nothing to do with the attacks inflicted upon his kin. _

_Pushing open the door, he entered silently, not even his claws clicking against the rough dirt of the floor. On the ground, there was one form, a male human, sleeping silently with a weapon to his left, an arms grab away. The blade was sharp, and would easily cut through Shadow if it made contact with him. Without hesitation, Shadow lunged, and his sharp, dagger-like teeth grasped around the victim's neck, causing him to flail as Shadow tore out his jugular, resulting in a spray of blood redecorating the room. _

_As the body fell limp, chest still and no longer breathing, he stalked out, his muzzle garnished with blood and his eyes hardened with the nightmares that the human would no longer see._

_The next house on his prowl was short, longer horizontally then vertically, with two windows on the front, and some brick red slabs forming the main structure. They held strong, cement sticking the slabs together in an attempt to make a structure that was defensible, unable to be broken. The main entrance was a door made of wood, grainy and splintered, looking like it had faced many years._

_Bounding in like a joyful child, he slammed into the door without care, causing the two people who dwelled within- both males- to jerk up in surprise. Like a devil mad with the fires of hell, Shadow blew the man on the left, barely covered with a shirt, into the back wall, causing the other man to curse audibly as a chalk plume of dust choked their throat. _

_As the shadows pressed upon the throat of the fallen man, Shadow mangled the other's throat, causing a spray of blood to adorn his fur, which was quickly becoming covered in blood. He disappeared, sinking into the ground before he reappeared towards the screaming man, leaping on him from behind and breaking his neck with a quick snap. By this time the rest of the village had become abruptly aware of the 'hell-dog', with the men running out with their weapons, ready to put it down._

_They thought it was simply one of the village dogs with rabies, but they didn't realise it was too methodical, too stealthy and cunning for that. Shadow sunk into the ground, invisible to the naked eye, but the shadows could be seen twisting behind him as he traipsed in his domain, lingering with bloody fangs and outstretched claws. He leapt out of the ground in an explosion of shadows, sending darkened spikes flying outwards, causing the encircling men to leap out of the way._

_Landing on the ground with all four paws, he reared up on his back legs and snarled, spit dribbling as he showed how sharp his teeth were. They all charged simultaneously, and a shadow shield formed behind him to intercept any sword strikes from behind. Shadow leapt into action, diving for the man in front of him, fangs wrapping around his leg as he pulled back, causing the man to fall._

_He leapt to the side of a silver sword's swing, before retaliating with a ball of shadows, landing right in the would-be swordmaster's face. It peeled and oozed, corroding and eating the skin, and the tortured screams of the fallen man becoming the shrill backdrop to the massacre taking place._

_"Il diavolo! È il diavolo!" (__The devil! It's the devil!)_

_One of the men cried out upon watching the man die, red welts decorating his face and burning through to the bone in certain places. A man backhanded the one speaking with the pommel of his sword, before feigning, swiping for the right of Shadow. The wolf in question pressed to the ground, allowing it to swipe the air above him neatly, before he rolled to the right, dodging yet another sword strike. _

_"__Speak English! None of us speak god-damn Italian!"_

_A purple colour crawled up their sword, and just before it could leech and creep onto his arm, the seemingly wise man discarded the__ sword, casting off the shadows before they took hold. He pulled out a short dagger, blade tip as short as Shadow's tail, yet he was surprisingly nimble with it, swift and becoming the first person to draw a lick of blood. _

_Granted, it was only a little bit, barely deep enough to cause any serious damage, but it was more then the others had done. Instinctively, Shadow knew to watch this man, because he was not on a mission for death- just for justice for his mate. Revenge, you could call it. Slamming his front paws onto the ground, sharp spikes of shadow emerged out angrily, impaling several of the circling men, resulting in large holes throughout their body, punctured arteries and organs resulting in their immediate doom. _

_As they fell, the shadows recoiling, Shadow bit the hand of another man, before throwing him into an advancing swordsman, knocking them both off-balance, and resulting in their bodies being consumed by his powers. The small army was thinning out considerably by this point, and only the seriously skilled were left, too experienced to fall for Shadow's tricks, and too well-trained to lose their attention on him._

_"Why are you here Wolf?"_

_The man, who had criticised the other for speaking Italian, called out, standing back as two men stormed in towards him, back to back with outreaching swords. Shadow jumped above one sword strike, the edge of the missed blade hitting the man's fellow comrade, before allowing his shadows to explode in a plume of spikes and darkness. _

_Shadow merely snarled in response, too angry and too furious to reply, instead grabbing a fallen sword with his mouth and throwing his head to the side, the blade glancing off, and consequently redirecting another strike. Shadow pressed down to the ground as he twisted sharply, landing a shallow gut-strike on the human. _

_As they converged on his position, he disappeared into the ground, the only hint he was there being the sliver of blood that adorned his back. He'd gotten a slight wound on his back, and he lost a tuft of fur in the process, along with a small amount of his blood. _

_"Watch the ground. He has to appear somewhere."_

_He had never tested that theory, and as far as he knew, he could, in fact, stay there as long as he would like. He would never back away from a fight unless it was his pups or family in danger. The man sounded non-plussed about the fact that Shadow was doing what he was doing, and Shadow recognised it. _

_This man was a deadly opponent, one that was worthy, and one that would require all of his attention. Walking along underneath, in several spots he summoned his shadows, and like him, they were all too pleased to attack, to leech off his enemies and get revenge for Breeze. They, like him, longed for Breeze to intermingle with her, and now that it had been halted forever by these savage, selfish, merciless beasts, it wanted to repay what had been done, tenfold. _

_As one man fell to several purple spikes, Shadow silently merged back into the world, pouncing from behind a swordsman, who twisted and met his bite with his sword. Rather than taking a full-on bite of the silvery blade, purple built up in his mouth, acting like a mouthguard. _

_While he still got a cut lining the roof and bottom of his mouth, it was better than seriously severing something. He spat out a glob of blood as they filled out the circle again, but this time there was no man left out, nobody else standing aside. _

_"I ask again. Why are you here? Why are you attacking us like this?"_

_Shadow's eyes had a manic glint to them, shining with anger as his fur boasted a bloody edge. They all dived in, swords swinging, and without a word Shadow exploded in a burst of shadow, his chosen name-sake, causing everybody to try and deflect it from vital parts. As a result, a few people got it in non-lethal areas, like the feet, or the arms._

_Reigning in his shadows, he picked up another sword, and swung it in a wide arc, forcing people to back away otherwise they were at risk of getting slashed. With a casual toss of his head, he threw the sword towards people behind him, before taking a headstrong approach and ramming into one of the circling men, causing him to fall._

_A quick snap of his teeth and the locking of his jaw later, he was dead. Around him a shadowed dome formed, causing the strikes to glance of him lightly, without so much as inflicting a wound. He then got the shadows to fold around him lightly, headbutting and slamming into a group of two, before having the shadowy aura snapback, lashing out and sending them flying back like they'd been shoved._

_**"You killed my Mate, my Love. Without remorse. You must pay."**_

_They were audibly surprised by his response, all of them but one showed surprise on their face. Shadow began to tire, ever so slightly, but his vengeance kept fuelling him, kept him fighting like a whirlwind of fury, the last bit of his energy being replaced with his relentlessness._

_There wasn't much left of the fight, the man who had addressed him having resignation on his face. He didn't fight back anymore. Shadow walked away from that fight-no, that massacre covered in blood, the screams of children and women lingering behind him, one more target left on his list._

* * *

_**"The other target was the Vampire who accompanied the humans that day. He hunted me as I hunted him- it was a matter of who got to who first. And fortunately, I got to him- but not for a long time."**_

* * *

_Shadow washed the blood off in a nearby river, streams of red cutting through the hazy blue. He cleaned his wounds, his saliva fastening the healing process ever so slightly, and he kept his shadows in his core, allowing them to recuperate from the workout he'd given it the day before. He hunted a large elk, consumed most of its meat, and dwelled upon his Pups, who he was already missing. _

_Upon finishing his meal and burying the remains, he began to track, heading back to where he last saw the Vampire, which was dangerously close to the Den. He just hoped that Whisper- or any of his three oldest Pups- remembered the safety habits that he'd implemented over the years- and that none of them would come across him. _

_Still, dwelling in a little shrouded area, where he was overcast by large rocks, and his fur naturally camouflaging him, he fell into a light sleep, resting for the following day's work._

_It took him centuries of hunting to find the Vampire, always slipping out of his grasp like a fish in a river. The longer it took, the more he felt like he would never get to see his Pups again. It wasn't that simple, to just return and play happy pack, and it wasn't just because of his pups feelings. _

_No, it was because the Vampire in question would just continue to hunt him, chase after him, persecute him until either he or the Vampire died. He chased him all over the world, to several different countries that the human's had all claimed and named, and even some that hadn't. America, China, Italy, France, Australia. _

_He'd gotten to all of them through either walking- hunting- or by sneaking onto human travelling devices, that were far too topsy turvy for his tastes. Until finally, he got there. In a clearing where all of the trees and flowers were dead, the sky a tumultuous grey streaked with clouds._

_"Ah, you're here. Once I've ended you, I'll go back and get your Pups. I think they're probably weak enough without their parents, don't you think?"_

_Shadow snarled, his shadows crawling over him. He had learned a few tricks in the centuries of hunting, such as how to imitate the human's external skin'. Their armour was thick and protective, able to absorb blows without damage caused to the users. He'd also grown quite attached to the sword he'd borrowed while.. massacring.. the village, and had learned to make his own- just out of shadows, not steel. _

_The fight was even longer than the one at the village. The Vampire was fast- but so was Shadow. Their battle was a blur of movement, purple explosions, sword strikes, and disappearing acts, but in the end, Shadow won. Gravely injured, to the point where he thought he die before he got to return, he barely remembered to ignite the scattered body parts, using an old trick he'd picked up, and skulked off before he collapsed amidst the forest._

* * *

_**"I was gravely injured, and it took me many day-turns to recover. It is not easy to fight against a Vampire without a Pack- and I have hope you will learn from mistakes."**_

I didn't get much time to continue my catch-up, because we were instantly summoned back to the main Pack site by an urgent call. One that we all heeded, and sprinted back as fast as we could- we had to get there _now._

_"__**Victoria's here with her army! Everybody gather at the meadow!"**_

* * *

Author's Note

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a good Christmas, because I certainly did.

I'ma keep this short though because I'm about fifteen seconds from falling asleep.

First off- if anyone has any requests for things they want me to write, please PM me the ideas. I'm open to almost anything- if you are unsure, my rules for beta-ing are pretty much the rules I would like all requests to adhere to. They aren't strict, I promise!

Anyway QOTW: What do you all do on New Years?

I have a dinner, and meet up with old neighbours and family, and eat far too much bad stuff. I think that's about usual for this time of year.

I'll see you all on the 2nd of January!

~A very tired Caitlin


	39. Chapter 39 - Seven Nation Army

I'm gonna fight 'em all  
A seven nation army couldn't hold me back  
They're gonna rip it off  
Taking their time right behind my back

And I'm talking to myself at night  
Because I can't forget  
Back and forth through my mind  
Behind a cigarette  
And the message coming from my eyes  
Says leave it alone

Don't want to hear about it  
Every single one's got a story to tell  
Everyone knows about it  
From the Queen of England to the hounds of hell

Seven Nation Army, by the White Stripes, from the album Elephant, released in 2003

* * *

The meadow was silent, excluding the hisses and snarls and other cries that were demanding war from other animals. On one side- an army of shifters, of all shapes and sizes, ages and species. The dominant species was the wolves- twenty-four strong. The leader- a russet wolf larger than them all, baring his teeth as he stepped forward, distancing himself from the Pack.

To his right, his Mate, the Alpha Female, wearing a similar look and a splodged coat, fangs hissing and spitting at the opposition. Behind them, a large black wolf, dark silver wolf, and a brown wolf stood. Behind them further still, they were flanked by a gangly sandy wolf, an ashy-brown wolf, a smaller light grey wolf, a black-spotted wolf, a chocolate wolf and a reddish-brown, young-looking wolf.

This was the main wolf pack, and they bore their names with pride, with anger, and the urge to protect the land they called home. To the right of them, there was a sort of sub-pack, making up thirteen of the total number. At the head of this pack stood a scarred wolf, with deep coloured fur and heterochromatic eyes. Behind him stood twelve of his children, sporting different coloured furs and powers, snarling, viciously, hackles raised and fury evident.

They were determined to protect their father's new Pack and to spend some time with him after everything. To the right stood the elephants, a small group of six, with mottled grey skin and long ivory tusks, long and ornate in their design. They joined the wolves' snarls with trumpeting echos of war, chant-like and encapturing in their ruckus. The Lions were next, with golden skins, the males rocking a thick and coarse mane, and a lashing tail.

Their Pride consisted of Pursia- her mother thought she was being funny that day- the Alpha Female, Ashen, the second, Maine the third, Norta, and Yson. They all roared, tall and proud, standing out amongst the others due to their golden sunset fur. Then there was the Cougars. Their accent was strongly Canadian, and they hissed and yowled in anger, accompanying the ferocious uproar.

Long claws emerged out of their tawny grey coats, and they watched with amber and grey eyes, backs arched and tails swishing in agitation. There were North and Merrick, the two Alphas who had their litter wiped out by a group of Vampires. Lynk and Remie, two siblings, and Mattias and Marlo, two older cougars, the last phasing remnants of the original Cougar pack. They knew what it was like to have Vampires hunting your family, and they were just as eager to wipe out the threat as the wolves' were.

The Scottish Wildcat Pride were next, and that sounded like the name of a conservation area. They were smaller than any of the others, still bigger than any of the species, but they made up for all their smallness with agility. There was Fergus, the representative Alpha, but _not _the actual Alpha, Callie his daughter, Kailin, the beta, and Ellidh, a female completely unrelated and without rank.

There was not enough time to discuss who was present within the congregated army, as Victoria began to speak, her bright red eyes pulsing with something that wasn't natural. Then again, there was nothing natural behind a vampire.

"A long time ago, your Mate, Edward, hunter and killed my James. I swore to get revenge."

Not wavering lightly from her form, Bella, as the impromptu leader of the shifter union, snarled viciously, not cowering in the face of her torturer. Jacob was much more verbal in his argument even as the acrid bleach smell increased with every bit of airflow. His hackles were raised in contention with the hissing vampires, red eyes meeting furious brown, as he bared his teeth, strangling out a heavily restrained curse.

"So why don't you get your revenge on _The Cullens_ then?"

There was a sadistic glint in Victoria's eyes as she reached into a black bag. Her pearly white teeth shone in the twilight, the teeth of a predator and she demonstrated that as she removed her hand, revealing a head with onyx black eyes, pale granite skin, and bronze hair.

"Because I already _have_. It's just the Bitch left"

Where his neck should have been, there was a stump and the hollowed-out trachea could be seen, along with an abscess where the blood vessels used to be. If Bella could pale in her current form, she would have, and it wasn't because she still loved the currently decapitated Vampire. It was just because she was honest to God sick to her stomach- that was disgusting.

Despite it all, she still held a teensy tiny part of her heart for him, but even if she didn't, he was practically a captive. Ironic, considering that _he'd_ kept _her_ in a cage, but this.. was worse.

Somebody from one of the other packs hissed- likely of a feline form- as somebody else audibly cursed within the pack mind, presumably similarly disgusted. Her grin picked up so that it was even wider, reminiscent of a shark's grin, bloodthirsty and _predatory_. She snapped her fingers, and immediately another man- vampire, flitted to her side. She draped her arms around her, salivating over him and teasing them by running her tongue around his neck.

"I think now, my Love.."

She purred, in a sick, twisted way that made every member of the wolves' side grimace in expression and their stomachs squirm uncomfortably. Like a stack of falling dominoes, the Vampiric, blood-drinking, soul-destroying and long-time enemy of the shifters, army settled into a crouch.

"We fight"

The sides sprung towards one another, claws and fangs outstretched viciously, as each army sought to destroy one another for what the opposite side had done.

* * *

Bella's first instinct was to shield as many people as she could within the Unified Pack Mind. Since that was her power, she felt responsible to protect everyone she could with it. But she had just managed to snake it around the Cougars before it snapped in half, with a sound that was oddly reminiscent of a snapping elastic hand.

A drum of pain was felt, increasing like a crescendo, and she quickly put a stopper on it as to not distract Jacob, who was currently mid-fight with a tall, dimmed eyed Vampire. Tracking her eyes across the battlefield, where swirls of fire were quickly meeting plumes of water as the shifters swapped targets more often then the seasons swapped, she quickly found out who she thought was the target.

A Leech who was staring at her while simultaneously side-stepping a Cougar. Bella broke into a sprint, shouting out as loud as she could within the chaos of the pack mind:

**_'_****_There's a vampire with the ability to break my shield!'_**

A vampire charged her from the side, arms outstretched like something which mimicked her worst nightmare, which she dodged with grace and poise that she'd only just gotten used to. Snarling, she lunged, teeth sinking into the Leech's arm as he flailed it, trying to dislodge her.

She let go, skidding to the side, before lunging again, this time head butting him away so that he staggered into the path of an incoming elephant- she didn't know who- who promptly picked him up with the curl of their trunk, and batted him against the ground, like some kind of plaything.

_**"**__**We are a bit preoccupied right now- someone has the ability to force someone on our side to attack us. It seems they can only control one person at a time. I'm trying to identify who it is."**_

With the accent, the lingering American droll that sounded Russian in nature, Bella would guess that it was the leader- sorry, Alpha- of the Eagles talking. There was that undercurrent of power that was ever so obvious, and if she concentrated she could hear the rush of air.

_**"I'll try and get 'em Lass. Once he's done, you can protect us all from the mind-whatever right?"**_

The thick Scottish accent rang out, masculine in nature, as Bella saw a streak of ginger-fur pounce on the shield-breaker, rolling in a mixture of fur and granite. The sounds of battle cracked out like a lash of thunder, yowls of pain and anger-filled hisses being the main attraction. It wouldn't be uncommon to hear the cracks of bones or the whistle of the wind as an Eagle divebombed abruptly, their claws tangling with the stone-cold forms of the vampires.

She nodded her head in response to who she thought was Fergus- since he was the only Scot with ginger fur- certain she _could_ stop whichever sick person was forcing people to attack ones they loved. With her shield wrapped around her as tightly as she could, making it as thick as she could in preparation for someone attacking her mind.

There was a sharp whistle of air as Bella looked up sharply in response, only to see one of the eagles attempting to claw at her, talons outstretched and eyes hardened but blank. Bella flattened, as the rough claws trailed along her back, reopening a gash she had thought had healed. Yowling in pain, the eagle- again, she had no idea who it was because she couldn't remember names- pulled up sharply, before going for another attack.

The moves were stilted, predictable, nothing like the ones they'd practised together as a group, and it was obvious that they were heavily fighting whatever was being done. Bella flopped on her side, trying to ignore the slight bit of pain, before wrapping her gums around the leg quickly, throwing them back into the air with a flick of her head.

The wings stuttered ever so slightly, but Bella didn't have time to check before she had to narrowly dodge a fireball that was thrown at her, the large diameter making it almost impossible to dodge. She was expecting, at the very least, a light singe of fur, her pelt being damaged or even a severe flash burn, but in the end, she got nothing.

Whisper, Shadow's daughter- one of many, further supporting the feeling that he was not as young as he appeared- jumped in front of her, her pale fur almost standing up on end as the fireball stopped in mid-air as if paused by her command alone.

The wind wrapped it up and dissolved it, as Whisper looked at her, nodding ever so slightly. Bella returned the gesture, just before she went to go help one of the wildcats who looked like they were having trouble.

Leaping over the back of a lion, who was crouched down, mauling a Vampire who was struggling under his large paws- at least she knew he was a male due to the mane- she grabbed the Leech's leg, yanking it sharply out from under him as the wildcat scrambled away to the side, hissing furiously.

She kept pulling and pulling as the wildcat jumped up and off Bella's back, onto the vampires, and wrapped their jowl around the neck, pulling with aggravated and adrenaline-fuelled strength as Bella heard the sheer crack of the leg coming off. Noticing Ember, one of Shadow's sons, she called his attention briefly, as she threw the leg into the air.

With a small smirk and the light of his fires joining his glinted expression, the leg was suddenly consumed with a vicious torrent of fire, hungry in its quest to consume granite-like flesh. Once she was sure the cat would be safe- as safe as they could be in a war zone-she turned to try and find Jacob, to see the wolf in question charging towards her.

As she narrowed her eyes, her wolf suddenly took control for a brief moment, throwing her form to the side and out of the reach of Jacob who stopped, staring at her with cold and listless eyes.

_That isn't Jacob. He's been controlled by that bastard. Feel the bond and look at his eyes."_

Bella did that as she dodged his lunge, narrowly avoiding his teeth which scrapped her ear narrowly, almost tugging it. The bond was shut off, but not like when they had willingly closed it, to allow the other space. This was.. _weighted_. Heavy and cumbersome. Ill and weak and _twisted_.

_**"JACOB!"**_

Bella howled, in a vain attempt to get his attention. But there was no twitch of his eyes, no recognition in the soulless eyes, and the bond didn't so much as quiver. His emotions weren't coming through at all, her head- which was getting a lot of hammer today- feeling like she was slamming it into a wall every time she reached for it.

She went back and merged into the same space as her wolf, as they remained on the defensive, avoiding Jacob's flurry of quick and lethal attacks. He was moving to kill, and he wasn't going to stop- no screaming or begging or the feeling of wrongness was going to stop him.

Forcing herself to concentrate on the attacking wolf that was Jacob, she bared her teeth in a demonstration of authority. Hackles raised and lip curled, she made herself look tall as he charged towards her, a manic glint in his eyes.

_I don't want to hurt him, Little One, but look, it might be the only choice we have._

Scowling, jostling her flank a little, she leapt out of the way of another attack, feeling Jacob's teeth graze her flank ever so slightly. It wasn't a cheeky nip, not like the ones she'd receive when they were pouncing on one another or tussling, but more like one to kill or at the very least maim. All around them, while the two Imprints were fighting, similar battles were happening all across the area.

Shifters of different Packs teaming up with one another- North the Cougar jumping onto Kenai the bear's back, and bringing down a Vampire, or Tomas the Capuchin monkey being dropped onto a Vampire's head by Yuriko the sea eagle. Though they were still outnumbered, the Vampires were whittled down little by little, although the one with the controlling power was still alive and kicking.

They had also suffered losses.. although those would be mourned at the end, once they had achieved victory, so their sacrifice would not be in vain. Returning back to Bella, her eyes were concentrating on her partner, her wolf bleeding into her movements with every side-step or avoidance. It wasn't until Jacob managed to tear into her right flank that she realised that whether she liked it or not, she _had to_ fight back.

At least until someone took out whoever was controlling him or that they gave up on controlling Jacob. Snarling at the flash of pain that she felt, with every second resulting in Jacob's fangs becoming more entrenched, she whipped around, knowing that she would never be able to overpower Jacob, and blasted her shield out, concentrating the shield around his teeth, which pried his jaw open.

Licking her wound quickly, still dribbling drops of blood, she rotated, focusing on Jacob who _screamed_. It wasn't even in pain, or some other explicable emotion- no, it was just in surprise. Like he hadn't expected her to retaliate- she didn't want to, everything in her body was screaming _no_. They leapt at one another, springing at one another with howls and growls and outstretched claws.

Bella dug her teeth into Jacob's shoulder, tugging and holding her own despite the vast size difference. To repay the attack tenfold, he wrapped his jaws around her ear- she had predicted the attack and ducked, narrowly avoiding being grasped around the neck- and she whimpered as the bite made home. There was no tearing noise, not even a sound of something shattering, there was just the sound of Jacob's teeth clasping together.

There wasn't even much pain past the initial bit- but there definitely was lingering damage, if the torn-off bit of flesh was anything to go by. She stepped back, a little surprised: well, more like startled, the shock hadn't crept in yet- before lunging towards Jacob again, her ear curling inwards on itself, as a defence mechanism to protect it from further harm. The tear was diagonal, not neat, rounded and uneven, and it was bleeding fairly profusely.

Her claws scraped down his side as their two forms slammed against one another viciously, with Bella losing ground every time they did, and Jacob's blood made a flimsy covering on her nails. Beads of it loosed along the ground, mixing with her own, as Jacob's teeth wrapped around her front paw, whilst her jaws wrapped around the back of his neck, the scruff.

They were at an impasse- Jacob couldn't move because of the paralysing tendencies of Bella holding the scruff of his neck and Bella couldn't move because she risked breaking her paw. And she couldn't exactly receive that injury and still help out in the fight. Tauntingly, Jacob tightened his teeth around her paw, as she bared her teeth, his eyes suddenly dilated and looked at her with shock and surprise. Somewhere in the Pack Mind, the shifter far away and tensed, someone cried out with a successful cry of elation:

_**"I got the mind-twister!"**_

* * *

Author's Note

HAPPY 2020 EVERYONE!

I hope that you've enjoyed it so far- the two days of it anyway- and spent it doing something you loved.

It's a really important time of year and I believe you should spend it with those they love.

Anyway, I've got a dog that I'm dogsitting (he's so goddamn adorable. He's a cockapoo and omg!) so I'd better get back to him.

QOTW: What is something that you are looking forward to this year?

See you next week!

~A festive Bookworm


	40. Chapter 40 - Whatever It Takes

Falling too fast to prepare for this  
Tripping in the world could be dangerous  
Everybody circling, it's vulturous  
Negative, nepotist

Everybody waiting for the fall of man  
Everybody praying for the end of times  
Everybody hoping they could be the one  
I was born to run, I was born for this

Whip, whip  
Run me like a racehorse  
Pull me like a ripcord  
Break me down and build me up  
I wanna be the slip, slip  
Word upon your lip, lip  
Letter that you rip, rip  
Break me down and build me up

Whatever it Takes, by Imagine Dragons, from the album Evolve, released in 2017

* * *

_**"What the... Bells? What happened?"**_

Bella shrugged, before charging off to rescue one of the Eagles, who had been pinned under the large body mass of a Vampire. She deliberately folded her torn ear over so that Jacob couldn't see it, before quickly unblocking the bond. Her ear had stopped stinging by now, and had seemingly healed: as much as it could anyway. It would never fully heal, but she'd rather it was her ear than something more noticeable. Plus, a good Alpha wouldn't focus on something so vain as a damaged ear.

_**"Mind-twister. Dead now. We've got to get back into the fight."**_

She didn't move as fast as she would have liked- Jacob had done more to her then she would admit- but she charged the vampire, taking his attention off the wounded eagle. He turned quick enough to grab her around her ribs, tightening like a snare. As her ribs started to crack and bend under the pressure, she tried to use her shield power again.

Focusing it around herself, she built up the energy so the shield was almost tangible, and imagined stretching it back like an elastic band. Letting it go, the Vampire was launched backwards by a seemingly invisible force. Before he could simply sprint back- having twisted back into position- he was set upon by a team of a lioness and a cougar. The sight would have been grossly had it been a human who was being mauled.

She gently picked up the eagle, who looked to be nursing a broken wing, and held him in her maw as she sprinted away from the fight. It may have been seen as cowardly to do such a thing, but there was one rule above all: protect the innocent and injured. She leapt over the fallen form of a vampire, being slowly consumed by a hungering fire, and charged away from the battlefield that was being consumed by explosions, fire pillars, air tornadoes, shifting figures, and blurs of speed.

Sprinting full out, it took her about six minutes to get to the emergency aid centre they'd established. It was manned by one of Shadow's daughters, Sue, and one of the Lionesses who happened to have a healing power. Balancing on her hind paws, she carefully laid the bird on the table, before dashing back off to the battlefield. It looked like it would be going on for a while yet- and the casualties were still unknown.

* * *

Shadow fired another shadow ball as he skipped out of the way of an attacking Vampire who thought he'd be able to sneak up on him. It was not his first fight by any means, but it was still difficult despite his experience. It was tiring, due to the fact that he had to watch every direction and cover other people. Then there was the added worry of his children, and Strawberry and Timber. Snarling, he dove for a Vampire's ankle, tugging her away with a strength he was unused to using.

Shadows crept up and through the Vampire's body, as the sky thundered above, the cracking sound of the lightning becoming urgent. They wouldn't know if it was Bright's or someone else's until it hit. Most of his Pack consisted of people who had powers- it was just an assorted few in the other Packs. The thunder cut through the Vampire with surprising speed, and it illuminated where the veins used to be in the vampire before she quickly crumbled into dust.

There was a sharp whistling sound as someone darted out in front of Shadow, appearing quickly. They reached out and grabbed his ear, which he twisted out of awkwardly, snarling viciously. Kicking with his hind legs, the Vampire was sent flying upwards, just enough for a large bird of some kind to grab him, chucking him into a giant fire vortex that Ember was managing. As he looked carefully at the bird's retreating form, he realised it was Honour, with her eyes being a dead give-away.

She disappeared off into the sky, and he could vaguely see her divebombing and shifting forms neatly as she dived into the ground. Shadow was reminded of the fact that he was in the middle of a battle when he got a particularly nasty punch to his side, sending him flying as he skidded across the ground. Deep inside him, his mother's powers were brimming, in a way they hadn't ever. It was as if the closer he got to exhaustion.

He was fuelled with a desire to protect everyone, even more so his pups. He snarled, before leaping in, his ribs reluctant to move with the pace he was trying to go at. The vampire moved to bite him as he twisted, narrowly avoiding the puncturing fangs. The Vampire quickly changed course and grabbed his hand leg, yanking with enough force to dislocate it.

Reeling back the growl of pain and still putting his full pressure on it, he slammed his shadows on the ground, causing several spikes to emerge and puncturing several enemies, stalling them enough for the other shifters to get an advantage. He set upon his own enemy, tearing limb from limn as there was a cry of pain from somewhere in the field. There would be many more of those tonight.

* * *

If it came to Jacob's choice, he would have had more training. Well, that wasn't strictly true. IF he had been able to choose, he would have most definitely avoided this whole situation entirely. But it had given him Bella and a dead Edward- almost, he'd seen the head rolling around like a parody of a football- so he could say it was worth it. After all, minus all of Bella's suffering, they were closer together then they had ever been before.

And hopefully, sometime in the future, they would get married and have Pups. He'd previously thought it had been impossible because after Leah had phased, they'd all been subject to a rant about how her period had stopped. _That_ had been an awkward situation, considering they'd been a group of boys. Anyways, Bella had phased, but _her_ period had never stopped. Bella hadn't even known about the potential situation, and it had only come up when Leah had been talking to Bella.

A quick consultation with the other females had confirmed a theory, that their periods had stopped until they had found their Imprints. Anyway, moving on from that, Jacob slid underneath the legs of one of the elephants, and pounced into the air, snagging a hovering Leech. Apparently they could fucking levitate now: not that it meant anything when Jacob forced them into the ground, growling while shaking his head from side to side, tearing apart her neck.

Over his shoulder, he could see Bella sprinting away from the battle, and she seemed to be chasing after something. Throwing the head into the air- where it got batted pretty awesomely by Kandula, who should get a career in baseball damnit- he sprinted after her, barely avoiding attacks by other vampires, who were extremely intent on attacking him. He tumbled and crashed into the floor, as three Vampires set upon on him, claws scratching at every bit of him that they could reach.

As he struggled, limbs flailing, one vampire was suddenly consumed by vicious sparks of electricity, jumping from one to the others in an arcing motion. There was a loud crack before it was replaced with a hiss and a pouncing lion, mane rustling in the wind as he landed on the other, throwing him aside and bounding after him.

Number two was momentarily distracted by one of the bears, encapsulated by their muzzle as the Leech was tugged away with their superior strength. The third and final Leech was pulled into the ground which crumbled beneath him, like a scene out of some cheesy horror movie.

He dropped to the ground, limbs and joints aching, the earth slamming him as hard as the Leeches were. Standing up on shaky limbs, he gave them thanks, before continuing the battle. And if he had a little limp while he was chasing after Bella, well, that was nobodies business but his own.

* * *

Victoria smirked as the bitch fell into her trap like a mouse in a mousetrap. This field was _her_ playground, and she was not going to play fair. Several of her army waited in the shadows, disguised by the scent neutraliser, aided by the shy yet vicious girl who shielded them all. All it took was a little bit of.. _ahem_.. persuasion.

She clenched her knuckles as her eyes flashed, fuelled by the delectable and strength-inducing human blood. The bitch in question came strolling in, the scent of mutt evident through the scars littering her body. Her army had whittled the bitch down, and she looked ragged and dishevelled, yet still standing with false confidence that had been lacking during their last encounter.

"Ah, _Bella_. I see you've had fun with my.. _friends_."

The response was a growl, the curl of a lip accompanied by the reveal of bloody predator's teeth. The bitch had claws- or rather bite. But the expression did go, all bark but no bite. It was to be seen whether it would be a tough battle- which it could potentially be, going by the army they'd managed to muster up-or an easy one- going by how easy it had been to kidnap her before.

Victoria licked her lips as the bitch crouched down, hackles raising as if she was actually a mutt. Waving her hand. She let a smirk grace her face, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on her prey as she vaguely heard a rustle in the grass behind her. Bella gave no sign of hearing, and Victoria realised why after briefly thinking that perhaps she was dumb. The sound would have been closer to her right ear- which was folded over, the fur surrounding it crusted with blood.

"Don't want to talk? That's _fine_. I can do enough talking for the two of us."

There was another snarl, but this one was much higher. Maybe the equivalent of a scream, but Victoria wasn't exactly a wolf whisperer. Bella's ears pricked, swivelling as she stepped aside, narrowly avoiding _the grasp of a handsy vampire who couldn't wait for their cue. _

Seeing Bella Bitch effortlessly jump on top, and decapitating with one smooth movement made Victoria reevaluate how dangerous the Bitch was. Because she looked murderous, in a way that she had never experienced. Tsking and shaking her head at the idiot, she grinned sardonically at Bella, dropping down into a crouch.

"Sorry about that. Sometimes people can be _so_ rude. Anyway."

She flashed her grin, as Bella Bitch settled deep into a pounce, and her hidden friends stiffened, ready to lunge. Bella growled, before springing forward in almost a blur of speed. With a click of her fingers- which was particular anti-climatic- her army set in, claws outstretched and powers a-bursting.

They collided with a tremendous clap of thunder-like sound, a group of four straight on the one wolf, but they were all sent flying by an unseen force. It looked like Bella Bitch had managed to make her shield have a physical effect. Interesting. Arms outstretched, two of the vampires tried to attack her at once, with blurring speed.

She twisted beneath one, clawing their leg out from underneath them and splitting it from the body, and sent the other flying backwards with another pulse of her shield. Victoria would definitely avoid that when she got her turn- she was just waiting for Bella to get slightly exhausted. Then she would be an easier prey- to stalk and to kill. Of course, she also needed the other mutts and company to be distracted. Bella easily tore his legs off, throwing one to the other and using it like a club.

One her friends- the psychic one- used her powers to throw Bella up in the air, high. As one leapt up to catch her, hands brimming with fire, Bella twisted in mid-air, surprisingly agile despite the lanky-looking form and the wounded nature of her- something that Victoria would yet again note- and like something out of an action film, bit down on the no doubt flaming hand.

Bella-Bitch became covered in a pink hue as Sabrina- because let's be honest, it was going to get confusing if she kept referring to them by 'her, they, him, friend, psychic' etc- tried to dislodge her. But the Bitch just dug her teeth in harder, and the ominous creeks of cracking flesh just got louder and louder, making her wince a little. Bella's eyes seemed to flinch a little in pain, along with a faint hiss, but it was a competition between whether Bella's jaws would give out first, or the arm would.

The answer would quickly be revealed as Bella was sent flying backwards, an arm still in her mouth, leaking venom. The venom fell onto the grass like rain from a cloud, and like acid, it ate away at anything living, the grass almost fading into dust. Bella-Bitch may have had good strength, Victoria remarked, sniffing the air for any sign of the Mutts or company, but she can't magically stop herself in mid-air.

And like she predicted, no, she couldn't. Bella slammed into one of the oak trees, eliciting a storm of leaves to flutter down, and the splintering of bark. Bella laid into the ground, an indent deep into the ground from where she stood, and she was sprawled, unconscious and seriously injured. Just the way Victoria wanted it.

Her vampire army flanked her back as Victoria stalked her prey. Just _one..._ one little snap of the neck and.. her revenge would _finally_ be fulfilled. Her hands shook with the anticipation, venom pooling in preparation for the bite. Just an extra way to make her suffer.. suffer as she had ever since her mate was killed.

"I'm going to have so much fun with this."

Just as she moved towards Bella, imagining snapping her neck, a pack of wolves came sprinting out. A pure black one leapt on the psychic, as she struggled in vain to get him off with a psychic blast. She seemed to be holding her own at least. Fennick, the resident pyromaniac tangled with a wolf coloured with a black and russet colour, and both of their eyes- wolf and Vampire that is- flashed with the aura of fire.

Both became encased in the fire as they hurtled about the field chasing after one another, the grass becoming a gross reminder of how flames could damage just as much as fists. There was a pale-furred lioness leaping across the filed, tussling with Gregory, who happened to have the ability of spontaneous combustion movement. That was a fancy term to show that he could move short distances and release a small explosion when he did.

And that was how that same lioness got a point-blank explosion to the face- definitely shattering a few facial bones- but also how Gregory ended up tangling instead with a wildcat instead, who's mere presence made the temperature drop a fair bit. The one she recognised as the Bitch's _new_ mate- the one who caused her to take her eyes off of the remnants of her army- was over by his near-dead Mate- or so she thought- licking her rather pathetically.

Victoria surged forwards, unwilling to let her chance escape as Bella got back up on shaky limbs, her brown eyes filled with pain and her fur clotted with blood. Her blood. Jacob stood in front of the Bitch protectively, crouched down, hackles raised, teeth bared, and brown eyes hardened. There was something feral underneath them, as he met Victoria head-on. She tried to dart around him to the side, but he countered that, while simultaneously shielding his bitch.

Her gift, which had never steered her wrong before, appeared to be struggling, and for a brief moment, she was trying to figure out why. It wasn't because of Bella-Bitch, because that had no effect on her before. With all the others distracted battling their respective opposition, the next logical step was Jacob the Jackass. She really needed a different insult for him. Tilting her head, she narrowed her ruby eyes at him, stilling for half a second.

"You have a gift?"

_That_ was a new development, and one of her spies had failed to mention to her. The response was a grin, cheeky and mischievous, before he lunged forward, with Victoria quickly moving backwards, narrowly avoiding the snapping of empty jaws. The wolf bounced back on the balls of his paws, still glaring at her with a growl that was just a steady constant.

Growling yet again, she lunged forward, and the wolf attempted a headstrong approach. _This would be a fun battle. Two for the price of one_. She cracked her knuckles and clawed, barely noticing Bella's chocolate eyes watching with a heavy settlement of dread.

* * *

Author's Note

Hi all!

How are you this random Thursday in January? I've just sent off my stuff to the DVLA for my provisional driving test, and am in the process of applying for Uni. So hopefully that goes wells.

Thanks for all of the reviews guys! We've nearly, nearly hit 200 reviews and that's fucking impressive. Thank you all for your love and support!

I've got to keep this short as I'm exhausted, so here's the QOTW: What is your favourite thing about driving?

See you all next time!

~Cait


	41. Chapter 41 - I'm Still Standing

You could never know what it's like  
Your blood like winter freezes just like ice  
And there's a cold lonely light that shines from you  
You'll wind up like the wreck you hide behind that mask you use

And did you think this fool could never win  
Well look at me, I'm coming back again  
I got a taste of love in a simple way  
And if you need to know while I'm still standing you just fade away

Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did  
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid  
I'm still standing after all this time  
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind

I'm Still Standing, by Elton John, from the album Too Low for Zero, released in 1983

* * *

Jacob's POV

The sounds of the battlefield were still noticeable despite my distance from it. Wolf-like howls of remembrance were just as loud as the loud roars of achievement, only tainted by the pool of darkened blood swirling around the grass like a vortex. My gift, subtle as it may be, seemed to be counteracting the Bitch's uncanny ability to escape, and by extension, impairing her ability to fight.

I had long since gotten used to the taste of blood, having given up on spitting it out whenever it reappeared. There was a deep, primal urge within me, fuelled by the fusion of wolf and human, to become the beast I am now, snarling and hissing, protecting my fallen mate who was barely standing.

I had increased in size so that I towered over Sam, the nearest in size in comparison to me. My class and teeth sharpened as my head grew to match my enhanced body, muscles rippling in my now red coat as they tensed, ready to hunt. The anger at being used to hurt my mate was fuelling the change I didn't even know I could do, and the urge, no, demand to do better was changing me into this being of nature.

Though rational-minded, knowing that I was known for my lax behaviour, everybody had a breaking point, and I had just reached mine. We had become the united merging of wolf and human, I was he, and he was I. Memories of being a cub and memories of being a child intertwined into one state of being. Paws were hands and hands were paws, our teeth a commonality as they threatened to tear through whoever opposed us in posing a danger to our Mate.

_This_ was why we fought, why we longed to fight, to keep what was hours in our paws, and to cherish it until we were no longer able. We _roared_ at the red-headed Leech, slamming our paws into the ground, creating deep grooves as we showed our dominance. She looked a little taken aback by our action, but still set back into her crouch. Through our bond, our Mate- _so strong, so strong, but injured, our mind echoed_\- positively radiated trust, and we fed her some of our energy.

There was the sound of hissing, and a weak snarl as Bella- that name winning out over the mash of _Strawberry and Bella-_ as she stood wobbly on all fours, a defiant look on her face, only dampened by the sheer amount of pain she was keeping back from us. We covered Bella as the vampire sprang, hoping to dislodge us or startle us into abandoning our Mate.

She was in the ill-conceived idea that we never truly loved her- _never, never, she is ours, we are hers_\- and that we were merely cannon fodder for that Vampire she once loved. But that was not true, our love was strong, was right, was ours. She was fast, but we were quicker, countering every move before she could make it. There was smoke in the air, the thick and grey smoke covering the sky.

The smell of flesh, actual flesh, echoed through the air- _the memories of a burning forest, of men with sticks, fallen wolves, __f__amily, Pack-_ turning our nose, but we pushed it aside with dread. We clashed, Vampire vs Wolf, snarling, our teeth digging into her leg after she moved it a fraction too slowly. Cracks spiralled as the bite went deeper, and with a screech of pain, she picked us up, hands wrapped around our waist.

Like a lemon in a juice squeezer, she began to squeeze our ribs. They resisted, enough for us to twist out. We pushed up, gripping our back legs on her now-ragged skirt, dislodging her arms for a fraction of a second as we opened our maw wide, snapping it around her chin, teeth digging into where her cheekbones would be.

We pulled down, letting gravity do most of the work, and with a tear, her jaw came loose, completely tearing away as we bounded away, freed by her moment of surprise. Our fur raised, spiking harshly, our hackles raising and our fangs bared, spitting out the flesh, throwing it to the side like the piece of shit it was.

Red eyes hardened, but the look held much less menace once her lower jaw was removed. We could see into the back of her mouth, where it would normally be a pinky red a hollow, porcelain white. There was the sound of a vacuum as she took in unnecessary air, attempting to speak, which she simply couldn't do in her current condition. A grin adorned our face-_ images of Bella, of Strawberry, injured, dead, we must protect_\- as we took a moment to relish in the Leech's condition.

We were not uninjured ourselves, no, we suffered from cuts and bumps, a gash on our back, and our fur clotted with assorted blood. Small patches of our russet fur had torn away, where it had been eaten by the acrid venom, spat on us by Vampires who were pinned, hoping to try and push us away. It didn't work. Bella, still wounded but armed with the anger of a pissed off Alpha, moved to stand next to us, as we tried to curve around her front, acting as a human shield.

She carried herself with a proud air, reluctant to concede, and with some effort on her part, arched her back, the fur spiking up in a similar style to my own. The limp she possessed, the trembling of her entire body and the stress of merely standing up was not missed, evident to us as clear as black on white.

We braced her, careful not to glance her wounds, as Victoria, who seemed to have a resolve to fight. She could not escape as long we were present with our gift, as she seemed to have realised. So, she lunged forwards, as we did again, pushing off the ground and propelling ourselves towards her. She darted to the side mid pounce, allowing her to avoid our teeth for another minute. Bella slowly leapt forwards, pain evident in every movement, as she moved with none of the grace she usually possessed.

Victoria merely disappeared again, appearing behind Bella, hands outstretched as if to grab Bella's back legs. Which she did, pulling, but as we turned to pounce, driven by the feral need to protect our mate, a huge fireball was appeared out of nowhere, skimming extremely close to Bella, but forcing Victoria to disappear, releasing Bella in the process.

Looking to where the fireball emerged from, there was Ember, his black and russet fur covering with an orange glow, eyes peering eerily through the ashen surroundings. He moved to come join us, flanking by our side as Victoria continued to run from position to position, appearing in front of Bella one minute, and behind us the next. Bella trembled with a stronger frequency now, the strain she was under only intensifying as time passed.

Ember curved around her back, leaving us to guard her front, as Victoria shifted, trying to find a weaker angle to attack us from. Kailin, the wildcat was still tussling with one of Victoria's leeches but seemed to be finishing up, judging by the fractals of ice appearing in small patches of water that had been caused by… whatever it had been caused by.

A flame circle like something out of a fantasy novel circled us, lurching up suddenly and resulting in a protective firewall. While it kept her from moving out- since she couldn't teleport- it also meant that we were stuck in here with her, in a small circle. Fortunately, our job was made somewhat easier by the wisps of flame eating away at Victoria's flesh, yet avoiding the three of them easily.

"So you've got me trapped it seems. Well, if I am going down, I'm going to take Bella with me."

Her speaking without a jaw was terrifying, to say the least, considering there was no movement of her jaw- cause it was broken off- and the words came out airy, the speech with a distinct whistling sound. With claw-like-fingers outstretched, she moved forward at a blurring speed, our eyes keeping up with her as if she was just moving normally. Moving forwards, we ducked, grabbing her right leg with my fangs as flames sprouted. We double-taked, knowing that we didn't possess that power, but Ember's voice, deep and slightly pain-filled, was clear.

"_**I made the flames eat away at what you penetrated."**_

We nodded, before tugging away at her legs. As Ember lunged forwards to grab her other leg, she moved backwards, just enough to graze the fire, we were forced to follow, dragged along the ground, leaving deep gouges in the dirt. An angry clicking sound emerged as she flew forwards, causing us to be pulled back by Bella's jaws, her teeth digging into our hind leg.

We could see why a few seconds later, when a large spike of earth erupted where I had once stood. It sunk back into the ground almost as quickly, and the firewall flickered down a little, replaced by a forming of earth.

"_**Someone.. Someone has come near. I can feel them outside my shield."**_

As the firewall began to flicker, the flames beating the rock down viciously, Bella ducked out from behind us, limping, and still looking weak. We turned, to tell her to stay behind us, but she seemed covered by some sort of air distortion, and she turned to walk out, unaided, limbs trembling as the flames fruitlessly licked at her, the rock parting like the sea for Mose.

We wanted to call out for her to stay, so we could protect her, but she disappeared before we could get a word out, and we once again became distracted by the clicking Victoria, engaged in a vicious fight with Ember, who was giving her a run for her money by burning her whenever she came to close to him.

Growling, we joined in, diving up for one of her hands, our mind dwelling on Bella: why would she just walk out like that? _To protect someone else, our mind replied- a pup hiding under her stomach, poking his head out, covered by his mother's blood. Kinship, a bond long-forgotten strengthened, a power we didn't know we had strengthening with our resolve. The bond between wolf and human, human and mate thickened, and with it, our collective strength. We would not fail now._

* * *

Bella's POV

Jacob was different. Not bad different, or mind-twisted different, but different. My wolf described it as 't_he unification between spirits'_ and there was a dual presence in his eyes. My body had taken a battering, between the previous battles, the fight between myself and Jacob, and Victoria attempting to ambush me. My body threatened to shut down with every step, my ear was stinging with a fresh vengeance, and there were definitely a few bones out of alignment.

Still, I soldiered on, my wolf helping me, taking as much of the pain as she could away from me. Flickers of memories, memories that were not mine, lingered in my mind, flickering through the bond, like a slideshow. And when Jacob did whatever he did to create that new bond, one almost as strong as our own, I felt it too, pulling me towards both Ember and in several other directions.

My shield was wrapped around my skin tightly, like a coat, and I knew Jacob was most likely going to kill me. I shut myself off from the hustle and bustle of the Pack Mind, in a selfish attempt to hide whoever had been lost, as I looked at the new group of Vampires. One with the rock ability, and three unknowns. It was not one wolf versus four.

Kailin, her Scottish accent audible after I wrapped my shield around her, flanked me, covering my right side, and it did not take long for another to join me: Shadow's daughter Honour came, following closely by the form of Seth, who looked more serious than I had ever seen him. _Ah.. shit._

Looks like he'd met his Imprint. Honestly, it was inevitable, but the fact that they hadn't met previously was just a miracle in itself. Honour quickly shifted forms from her wolf form to something larger- a perfect mimic of the elephant pack. Seth narrowed his eyes, looking more suited to his gangly body as the moments ticked by, and we looked at one another before nodding.

We all charged forwards, ice spiraling around Kailin as the cold blue fractals grew up their legs. All of those who charged with me, Kailin, Seth, Honour, were young. The only one's I knew the true ages of was Seth, but while I knew Honour was young, she could be any age. Same applied to Kailin. Nevertheless, I felt as if it was my duty to protect them the best I could.

Even in my injured state, the most important thing to me was to protect my Pack, and as I had vowed to do so, I would.

* * *

Third Person

The flames dissipated without much fanfare, doused out and replaced with rock hard rubble. There was a fallen form of a wildcat on the grass, limp. There was a steady rise and fall of her chest, so it appeared she was merely unconscious. Next to her was the fallen form of Ember, his chest lightly stuttering. Around him was a puddle of blood, flowing steadily from a hole in his torso, about the size of a fist.

The flesh around it was puckered red, angry and burnt, as his healing factor worked to heal it. In the little group that was left, there were two fighting. Jacob and Bella, each on their last legs. But so was Victoria. Her right arm, cremated by Ember, a useless thing cradled by her side limply, unable to move or be moved.

Her jaw had followed the same path, nothing more than a scattering of ash, destined to be scattered by the wind and forgotten about. It would be nothing more than a bad memory to some. The sides of her shin had been torn away, catapulted far away to the side where she couldn't get them, risking getting intercepted by the two wolves who would not give up until the bane of their existence was dead.

The two Imprints looked at one another, before lurching as one united team, one going high and the other low. As she tried to move, they circled from the side taking both her knees out and forcing her to the floor. Neither of them had any words as Bella wrapped weakened jaws around the bitch's neck, with Jacob taking position at her back, as they tore, the cracking sound resulting in the end of all their worries.

And with that, the two Imprints finally allowed themselves to rest, dropping to the floor in a dead faint, curled around one another, just as the other's came running, those that could be spared. And so, that was the end of Victoria and her army- but at what cost?

* * *

Author's Note

Sorry guys, this chapter is a couple of hundred words shorter than usual. I've been exhausted trying to study for my prelims (also called mocks) and I've had very little time.

I'm afraid that soon this will be the end of Bloodmoon. With Victoria dead and a few loose ends to wrap up, we'll have finished, in a few chapters no less. I'm fairly upset about that.. this was my most loved story, and I loved getting your reviews every week! So yeah, I will be sad.

Maybe we'll get some one-shots in this universe that I've created, we'll have to see what I'll come up with.

But for now, this is the end of the chapter!

Here's QOTW: What is one thing you want to know in the story?

See you next week!

~Cait


	42. Chapter 42 - Warriors

Here we are, don't turn away now,  
We are the warriors that built this town  
Here we are, don't turn away now  
We are the warriors that built this town  
From dust.

Will come  
When you'll have to rise  
Above the best and prove yourself  
Your spirit never dies!

Farewell, I've gone to take my throne above  
But don't weep for me  
'Cause this will be  
The labour of my love

Warriors, by Imagine Dragons, from the album Smoke and Mirrors, released in 2015

* * *

It was a tough and bloody battle, and there had been numerous losses from every one of the Packs. It simply couldn't have been avoided- no matter how skilled or how powerful, losses were inevitable with a battle as large as this. There were multiple devastating losses, and countless more injured. From the wolf pack, they'd lost a few, the losses striking hard and fast, without remorse or regret.

Paul, brave and hot-tempered until the end, had been killed while fighting off three Vampires who ganged up on him. Injured, he had been a fraction of a second too late to avoid a lethal bite, the venom flooding through his veins and dehabilitating him quickly. Rebellious until the end, he went down fighting, only stopping once the three of his attackers were down.

The next loss, mourned for by the entire Pack, was Sam. He had gone down protecting the group who was healing the injured. You would think this would increase his chances for survival, but he was swarmed, and with it, they took a wolf away from their Imprint. His body was laid beside his Pack, ready to be buried later in the customary fashion. They would always remember the one who had lead the Pack when Jacob could not.

Their last one was one equally upsetting, resulting in Seth shutting down, soothed by his newly found Imprint who was snuggling against him in a comforting presence. Leah had gone to join her father. The sheer howl of terror that Seth emitted once she disappeared from the pack mind, her message unknown to all but Seth, was one that still rang out in everybody's ears, haunting them and teasing them like his sister no longer could.

Spirit was lingering around him, warbling to him in wolf a message that was just for him. Shadow had lost two of his children: Torrent and Forge, both killed in different ways. Poor Torrent had died of an electric shock, sent through his water powers and coursing through his body with the strength of an pylon. By the time one of the eagles had killed the one responsible, it had been too late, and the wolf had fallen over, his muscles still spasming with the electric shocks.

Forge's death had been the most brutal, arguably, considering how he died. He'd been picked up and accidentally killed by one of the Elephants, who had been mind-twisted into picking him up with the curl of his trunk, and smashing him against the ground, splintering his rock-like skin into small shards into the ground. Once the same Elephant had recovered, he had gathered up the shards, clean and natural-looking, and wrapped them away in a small bag, keeping the broken shards of Shadow's son together, in one piece.

He laid him next to his brother, ready to be buried in whatever way Shadow chose. The same Elephant had much remorse and had yet been unable to see Shadow. Norta and Yson, imprints to one another, had died as mirror images of one another. This was not uncommon in shifter history- because if the Imprints were strongly intertwined, then the shock of one's death would kill the other. Norta had, like so many others, been bitten and injected with venom, just after killing the vampire who had inflicted the wound.

The volume injected had overtaken her quickly and she fell soon. Yson had frozen, according to the others who had seen him, and had died on the spot, collapsing on the ground, a Vampire's decapitated head still in his jaws.

The Alaskan bears had been one of the few packs to loose only one member. A tragedy all the same, but a few less than the others. Søren, the twin of Iorek, had fallen in battle, his deaths being one of the most subtle. As subtle as an avalanching swarm of rubble could be, anyway. Molten rocks, summoned by one of the Vampires, began to gather on top of the bear, pinning him to the ground.

While he resisted the weight for a long time, they began to increase until there was the amount that was like a molehill resting on his back. The crack reverberated throughout the battlefield and the pile caved in on itself, the rocks sliding like they were on ice until the bloodied, normally pure white fur, of Søren emerged, and with that realisation, there was a thundering roar emerging from Iorek, and he became a whirlwind of fury, slashing and killing like a machine.

Then, there was Hathi. The wise old, grey pelted, elephant who had been almost a mentor, teaching them the ways of shifter history and the like. He had fallen in a peculiar way, not through an injury or venom bite, or anything of the like, no, he simply laid down after the battle, and curled up, his trunk wrapped around his grandchildren, and fell limp, body frozen as if a statue.

His grandchildren were still by his side, not moving at all, statues almost, themselves. The felines, both the Scottish wildcats and the Canadian Cougars had come out with no fatalities. Injuries, yes, with a few needing a few days to heal, but otherwise, no fatalities. Similarly, the capuchins had sustained no fatalities, as of yet, but they were both unconscious, with several broken bones.

Finally, the eagles. They had one fatality, one of them who had been thrown into the ground violently, shattering several bones. To top that off, as if that hadn't been enough, Victoria's boy toy, Riley, had pressed his heel into them, crushing their abdomen and finishing them rather quickly. The only consolation was that Yuriko had died quickly, without feeling too much pain beyond the initial crash landing.

There was one other death.. but rather, he was not dead yet. He was largely ignored by everyone in the battlefield, being kicked around like a glorified football, rolling around in the mud, and every so often reflecting a spark of sunlight. Someone picked him up and tossed him in a bag- ready for Bella to deal with later.

* * *

Charlie sat in a procession with the other aware parents and tribal leaders, his hands trembling every so often and his knees bouncing. He _hated _being unable to help his daughter, his child, someone who he had failed to protect so much. Sitting on the sidelines was unbearable, but he knew that realistically, in this fight, he would be more a hindrance than a help.

Should one bite from a Vampire- God, he was still getting used to that- land itself upon his skin.. well, bye-bye humanity. Two of the younger wolves... Colin and Brady he thought they were called- were pacing outside. Deemed too young to participate in the battle, they had been commanded to sit out, to guard the imprints and parents who were waiting inside the tribal house. For what seemed like an eternity, the time trickled by, no sign that anything had gone a miss.

For those who were unaware, it seemed like a normal day. But for him, it was one of the longest days imaginable. There were no positives to knowing that his daughter was out there fighting something he couldn't get rid off, like the big bad monsters under her bed, but it did give him time to go over what he thought about the whole thing. Still, he was trying very hard to stay calm.

Kim and Rachel were quietly talking to one another, concerned voices evident and the slight trembling of their hands. Emily was in the kitchen, stress-baking or whatever it was, and Billy and Sue were looking over some things. Old Quil was dozing, somehow, leaving him by himself essentially. He felt like an outsider.

To think, Bella could have ended up.. _dead.. _had the wolves not intervened. Or worse, a Vampire, doomed to stay within the shade and drink blood. The wolves, well, the Quileute's seemed to believe in fate, but Charlie was still sceptical of it. Then again, werewolves and soulmates were apparently things now, so maybe he had to re-evaluate his beliefs.

Bella... she seemed better almost, after becoming a wolf. She was happier than she ever had been with Edward, and had become... more confident, more resilient. There was no longer such a constant worry about her knowing that she could stand up for herself now… it was by no means gone, but knowing that she wasn't going to be steamrolled over any more, it was a little more reassuring. She wasn't his baby girl any more.. but he would always hold her close in a way that he couldn't for years.

She was very graceful in her movements, no sign of trepidation, and the splodged fur she had, unique, suited her well. She wore it with pride, even if the ways of her becoming a wolf was extremely painful. He was in deep thought thinking about Bella, how she could be injured, or hurt, or _worse, _killed, before he heard a scream and a clash of something smacking against tile.

Charlie, through years of condition and muscle memory, jumped up and dashed through to the kitchen, seeing Emily clumped onto the floor. Her skin was pale, taking on a waxy sheen, and her legs were twitching. Her face was in a fierce grimace, and she was coiled in almost a fetal position. Charlie crouched down as the others came pouring in, and he took her pulse. It was thumping radically, strong but stuttering, and along her arm, there was a cut, from the broken glass shattered on the floor.

Rolling her into the recovery position, the girls took over cleaning the wound and sweeping up the glass, as he braved the outdoors to see the form of Brady, howling. Remembering that this was a teenager, and feeling his instincts tell him that something had happened to Sam. The boy ceased his howling soon after and gave Charlie the most devastated look imaginable.

"Sam?"

He asked quietly. His response was a slow, deliberate, shake of the head, and a whine. His stomach plummeted.

* * *

To think all of this had happened because of a virus, Carlisle mused, sad. How didn't he recognise that his own son was ill.. it was detestable. Since Edward had gone missing, abducted from underneath Emmett and Jasper's noses. They hadn't even had him back that long. Alice was driving herself crazy, trying to throw herself into her visions, in an attempt to see anything relating to her brother. Her eyes were almost a permanent onyx by this point, and she was only drinking whatever Jasper put in front of her.

His son was just fixed by her side, suffering from the negative emotions of everyone in the house. Emmett and Rose had taken some time by themselves, sullen, lost, with guilt eating at Emmett as he had his share of believable fault. Esme was quiet herself, sad and upset, throwing herself into house decorating and gardening. With no leads, Edward's trail just ending as quickly as it started, there was no way of finding him.

Outside of Alice's visions, or lack thereof, where she just saw strawberries, flowers, trees, red, and ash, there were no leads. He took a breath, not needed but habitual by this point in his centuries of existence, and pondered about the virus. It was peculiar that out of the seven of them, Edward had been the only one to contract it. With half the Vampiric populace being unaffected, it was extremely unlikely that only one of their coven of seven would be effected.

There was no definite way to know how it was transmitted, and by looking through the recorded case, there was no correlation between sufferers. At first, Carlisle thought it had something to do with mental gifts, but some of the other sufferers- or at least, the ones who's records he'd found, he had no owed favours left- didn't have powers. _So how does it originate? How does it transmit? How does it thrive?_

He had a few samples of Edward's venom, in hopes that perhaps it attacked the user's venom- like some viruses attacked the capillaries in the human body. But the venom was difficult to analyse- highly corrosive and even harder to look at under a microscope, it was difficult to see what exactly was in there. The only thing he had was his own venom, and it wasn't the best thing to compare it too, considering that he couldn't compare the changes between Edward pre-virus and Edward after-virus.

Everybody's venom, like a twisted form of DNA, was uniquely identifying, so his venom was going to be different to Edward's. Still, he poked at it, keeping it carefully separated. He was invested now- _and he had to kill it. _Or find out why the cure worked, and then use it to eradicate the disease. Because as it was, it was tearing apart families, and not everyone had a Lover's blood to heal them- because what if their love was a Vampire?

They were lucky as it was that the cure had worked on Edward in the first place- without the use of Bella's blood from the source. If what Bella had said was true- Edward taking blood out of her at any given moment, then perhaps some of that blood was lingering there, ready to be used to amplify the cure. He sighed at the mention of Bella.

Though they hadn't shown it particularly well, especially with just leaving her chasing after Edward. There was no justification behind what they did, and Carlisle couldn't condone it. She was only human... emphasis on the past tense. They'd turned her into a shifter, after narrowly saving her humanity from James.

And when they tried to preserve human-life, they needed to revaluate it when it came to mental health- because they needed to be ashamed of what they did. And with a heavy heart, and a heavy sigh, Carlisle realised that he had likely not just lost a son, but also a daughter.

* * *

Bella woke up to an odd scene. Limbs hurting, pulling, tight and sore like she hadn't warmed up before a workout, and she was laid on a white cloth, pristine and smoothed out. This was a scene she had woken up to too many times by now. She wanted to get up and move but chose to wait a moment first.

Peering around, she saw a neat row of animals, hooked up to certain Ivs etc. At the far end, it looked like there was a group sitting together, along with what looked like Sue. Jacob's form was on the bed next to her, lying down in a traditional dog-like manner. Patches of his russet fur were bandaged up with white padding, and his ribs were wrapped tightly with braces. Still, he was awake, looking at her curiously with his tongue lolling a little.

"_**Bella!"**_

He exclaimed, somewhat joyously, despite the despair audible in his voice. She turned her head, her head feeling a little heavy due to the bandage wrapped around her ear, which had healed over, scabbed, but still torn. Jacob flinched and she steered her thoughts away from her torn ear-she didn't want to remind him about it. She scratched her face, the equivalent of rubbing her eyes, and looked around again, before fixing on him.

"_**How are you feeling?"**_

Jacob shrugged, wincing a little as he moved, and grooming his left front paw. I could see a similar needle sticking into his front paw, secured by bandages.

"_**A little rough. And sick. I only woke up a few minutes before you did. All I know is that.. is that Sam is dead."**_

Bella consequently threw up what little she had left in her stomach, and quickly drew the attention of Sue and the others, who fussed around them, checking them over yet again and quickly moving Bella to a cleaner bed. It would be her reaction to the other.. _deaths, _that Jacob wasn't looking forward to.. because he knew that others would be dead. He did not know who, but the whispers.. he picked up both 'he' and 'she'. Just how many had died for their cause?

* * *

Author's Note

So I took the questions that you all asked me, and I tried to answer as many of them as I could within this chapter.

I'm sorry again that this is shorter than usual, I've got my prelims starting next week and I'm so underprepared. I need as much time as I can get to revise, and that tends to take a chunk out of my time.

I hope my chapters will resume to their normal length once prelims are over.

So, QOTW: If you could remove one thing from History, what would it be? Honestly, there are a lot of things to choose from.. so probably either the Holocaust, the guy who created exams (although perhaps that's a _little _harsh) or shootings in general. All of them are bad, regardless of where they take place.

Anyway, see you all next week!

~Cait


	43. Chapter 43 - Someone You Loved

Now the day bleeds  
Into nightfall  
And you're not here  
To get me through it all  
I let my guard down  
And then you pulled the rug  
I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved 

I'm going under and this time I fear there's no one to turn to  
This all or nothing way of loving got me sleeping without you  
Now, I need somebody to know  
Somebody to heal  
Somebody to have  
Just to know how it feels  
It's easy to say but it's never the same  
I guess I kinda liked the way you helped me escape

Someone You Loved, by Lewis Capaldi, from the album Breach, released in 2018

* * *

It took us a few days each to recover from the injuries, but there had been no more fatalities in that time. After my rather disgusting display of my lunch, I had learnt how many we had lost. And it made me physically sick. Every one of them, no matter how distant or formal they were, I had a connection with.

And to hear that they died, because of a mess _I _made by getting with Edward and getting bit, tugged on my soul deeply. Charlie had come to visit me for the several days I'd been recovering, confined to wolf form _yet again. _He knew about the deaths, and like he used to do after Jacob's Mom died, he would brush my hair- fur in this case- and murmur soothingly in my ears, which twitched in response.

We'd both had a shock when he came in to see me after the battle, his face ashen and pale, his eyes wavering a little. I was unused to see his emotions so clear on his face, and as he brushed my fur, he must have caught my wary gaze because he mumbled his reason to me.

"I was with Emily.. and Rachel.."

My stomach churned as violently as my own thoughts. While I didn't know what happened after someone's soul mate died.. the mere thought feeling taboo and _painful, _it was obvious that whatever had happened, it wasn't pretty. I.. I couldn't imagine losing Jacob.. and I truly didn't know what they would be going through.

Charlie took a minute to collect himself, Jacob watching silently from the adjacent bed in silent support. He bit his lip, a habit I had inherited evidently, before he ducked his eyes, looking down at the makeshift medical wing.

"Emily.. was the first. She was baking in the kitchen.. and she just collapsed. Not soon after.. Rachel collapsed. I found out from Brady. I just.. it was horrible to see them like that. Limp and.. like one half of a complete picture. As far as I know, the two of them are still unconscious."

I whined a little in sadness. I had caused this, whether indirectly or not, this was all my fault. Jacob emptily snapped at me, but despite that, I couldn't forgive myself. Charlie murmured soothing reassurances in my ears as he kissed the top of my head, taking a brush and grooming my fur. Where he got the brush from I didn't know, but it was certainly comfortable.

* * *

Once we were up and moving, everything went by sort of slowly. Some of the packs were burying their lost ones at the battlefield, somewhere being burned first, and some were taking their deceased back to where they come from. We offered to do whatever we could to assist, but we were still limited to what we could do. I was sitting peacefully in the meadow, in human form, simply relaxing in the tranquillity of the spot.

Out of the tree-line, I saw the familiar form of Shadow, flanked by one of his children. I wasn't sure which it was from this distance, despite my eyesight. He'd looked like he'd been aged several centuries in the past few days… I imagine losing a child wasn't easy. Well, losing anybody was never easy. In his mouth, there was a black bag, circular in nature and just odd. Smelling the air, the acrid smell of Leech taunted my nose, causing me to cover it with a whine.

The smell that had lingered across the battlefield that day had been awful enough. Still, I wagged my tail a little in greeting but continued to relax into the smooth grass of the meadow. Lush and soft, it was laying on a pillow, which was just what I needed with tender ribs and a recovering paw. It took all of three seconds for Shadow to close the distance, and his daughter, Whisper, was staying a distance away.

There was mumbling coming from inside the bag, and Shadow haphazardly tossed it in front of me, with it rolling oddly like it was stunted. I looked at Shadow with curiosity, and he bared his fangs in distaste at the bag, surprising me a little.

Shadow then stood up and with one weird stretch of bones, in the seconds it took him to rear on his hind legs and _shift _with a ripple of muscles under his coat changing into a figure more human-like. Whisper looked at him with a brief hint of disgust, but sat and watched with a cautious and wary look on her face.

"We recovered him from the end of the battle. As per tradition, as the one wronged, you are to be the one to decide what happens to him."

And like hell had frozen over, I lifted the bag, and saw the head, the black-eyed and scowling face of _Edward Anthony Cullen _was looking at me. He was on his side, his cheek resting on the grass beneath him as he stared at her lopsidedly. It reminded her of his lopsided grin that he'd worn all those times in biology back then.. and while they were fond memories, they were certainly tainted now, and weren't so 'you're my everything-y'.

I clenched my fists but kept my tremors to a medium, the resistance being easier than usual. Perhaps it was due to how exhausted I was. Still, it wasn't exactly a face I was expecting to see, and a part of me had hoped that he'd simply gotten.. well.. killed in the ensuing battle. Is that wrong? Does that make me a bad person?

Probably not as bad as what I'd already caused but.. well. I looked around, half expecting to see the headless form of Edward come walking out like the headless horseman minus a horse, but nothing appeared. Some of the hardness in his onyx relaxed a little as he saw me, but I'm not exactly sure whether that was a blessing or a curse.

"Bella."

He sighed a little, almost as in relief. Excuse me? What right did he deserve to be relieved? I kept back a snarl and looked at him with as hardened of a pair of eyes as I could. I was tempted to bare my teeth but instead kept them hidden, keeping my mouth in a firm frown, downturned and tight.

Shadow was watching a careful distance away, his daughter even further away, but he had dropped back to his wolf form, seeming more confident and brave then he was as the young-looking boy. It was weird how human forms worked..

"Edward."

I said coldly, as he looked at me with what looked like regret. One day, a while ago maybe, I would have forgiven him, gone running back to him, but that was then and this was now. And things had changed, so had she.

"You seem a little... different."

He looked almost wounded, but I held no sympathy. How had he even ended up bodiless, and how hadn't I dealt with the Cullen family yet? Still, I yawned, feeling tired and achy and missing Jacob- who was still in the makeshift ward. As much as I hadn't wanted to leave, he'd insisted I went out and got some air before I went crazy. Still, I thought, perhaps naively, that Edward Cullen would be out of my life for good, but apparently, fate didn't like me too much.

"Bella. I _am _sorry you know."

He flashed a grin that yet again would have disarmed me once, but that didn't exactly have the same effect when he was headless. In fact, it was a little alarming. Rolling my eyes, I couldn't help but bare my teeth. Apparently he looked a little shocked yet again, so I was surprising him a lot today. This morning. This afternoon. Whatever. I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hands before sighing.

"I don't really care for apologies. What done is done. So where's your body?"

The question came out somewhat coldly, but I didn't flinch. Even with amber-orange eyes, the memory of angry red ones as he took my blood were still ever-present. I wasn't aware it was possible to flinch without a full body, but Edward had managed to pull it off. Still, I couldn't find it in myself to care, not after all that he did.

I still felt angered and wronged by his actions, so perhaps I was still a little too bloodthirsty when it came to him, but I couldn't find it in myself to really regret it. He looked a little upset, and I stamped down hard on the bond, stopping my flow of tumultuous emotions. The last thing Jacob needed right now was to play knight in shining armour and come and save his imprint.

I allowed the faintest trickle of peace trudge through, focusing on how the meadow brought me serendipity and melancholic peace. That was all he needed to see right now.. and I'll tell him once he'd recovered.

"Burnt. To ash."

That sounded oddly painful, especially with how it was his body and all. I mean, it was his body and all. I guess I felt a little sympathetic to him? Despite everything he'd done.. to be robbed of mobility.. well, I drew too many parallels with Billy and his accident. Vampires had a healing ability that rivalled our own.. so did he just grow a new body or?..

Apparently repeating that was seen as a stupid question as Edward shook his head so violently he rolled over. Sighing, she picked him up and stomped him on the ground, putting him the right way up again.

"Once it's gone, it's gone. Leaving me as a Vampire with no body."

He looked darkly at the ground, not that he was far from it, before looking up at her again. Tilting her head, he rolled his eyes in that sardonic way I was used to by now, but that had as much as an effect on her as a midgy did. Safe to say, no effect at all.

"Bella."

He began to ask, matching my gaze evenly and no sense of their shared history or their previous grievances. Because he asked me a question I could never answer or be expected to answer:

"Will you kill me?"

* * *

I didn't feel many emotions as Shadow and Whisper helped me bury the ashes. I didn't feel complete, and I didn't feel mollified, but I didn't exactly feel bad either. As far as I care, it was a meaning to an end, a way to end the cycle of uncertainty that came with Edward and make the start of a new one, one with Jacob and the others.

It was almost surreal in the nature that it had even happened, and I found myself in some kind of shock. The burial site was far away from the sanctity of the meadow, so it remained peaceful. We buried him under an old and rotting tree, just for the sake of keeping the ashes obscured and out of human testing range.

The trees almost began to wilt further, the decay accelerating until the branches became so brittle they might snap, and the wood splintering so that only a thin layer would remain. I got up, stretching slowly and intentionally as I turned away, walking towards the tree's exit. Jacob would be waiting for me to go... and I had some funerals to plan and some people to console.

* * *

I was curled up on my bed, in my human form. Today had taken a lot out of me, and I wanted nothing more than to slumber underneath my covers. Charlie had largely ignored me after I trudged in after an emotional afternoon and immediately collapsed on my bed. Jacob had been a little grouchy at being forced to be on mandatory bed-rest, and I always made sure to have my hair draped around my torn ear.

I was hoping he couldn't remember it. Jacob already beat himself up enough over how I was after I got kidnapped and how I got injured the first time around. Then I went to see Emily and Rachel. They were.. well. They weren't coping well. How could they when they lost their other halves? Their soul-mates. They were distant, not altogether there, and when they spoke it was without their usual voices.

It was like they were there, but also not there. Shattered into small pieces, hard to put together but not altogether irreparable. They were despondent, in a state I'd never seen them before, with Sue, Kim, and the other members of the Tribe/the Wolves mothering the two of them.

But it.. it was going to take a long time to recover. So by the time I got round to sleeping, I was just about ready to sleep. Close my eyes and wake up to another day: because I knew that they weren't going to get easier.

* * *

Author's Note

I'm really sorry that this chapter is so short: It's not an excuse but I've been very sick this week and I've been sitting my mocks which are taking everything out of me. Between the two of these, I've been unable to really write more than I have right now.

Hopefully, I'll be back to normal next week once mocks are over.

Before I go sleep, here's the QOTW: And I'm tired enough to not be able to remember if I've asked this before- if I have, I'll change it once I get chance: What are you looking forward to this year?

I'm going to have to go to sleep because I'm about ten seconds away from sleeping.

~Cait


	44. Chapter 44 - Never Say Goodbye

Never say goodbye, never say goodbye  
You and me and my old friends  
Hoping it would never end  
Never say goodbye, never say goodbye  
Holdin' on, we got to try  
Holdin' on to never say goodbye

I guess you'd say we used to talk  
About busting out  
We'd break their hearts  
Together, forever

Never Say Goodbye, by Bon Jovi, from the album Slippery When Wet, released in 1986

* * *

We had a large congregation for the funerals of our lost ones. We did not bury them at the same time, but all at their own times and places- so we could remember them individually. I had gotten a black dress for the occasion, that went down to my legs, barely missing touching the ground. With black flat pumps and my hair in an intricate braid, I had the bracelet Jacob got me round my wrist, connecting me to the pack.

The first to be buried was Sam, and it was near a giant tree. It was near my meadow- our meadow- but a little way away. There was a large twisted-trunk tree in the centre, and it was under that where we would bury him. Sam and Emily had spent a lot of time here- and while she was still largely despondent, she helped in a few ways to get the funeral for Sam ready. Such as picking the location. The grass was bright and vibrant, with flowers swaying in all directions.

The tall tree, though hurt in ways we couldn't accurately see, remained a guiding presence for all of those present in the forest- exactly how Sam did for us. The tree.. it would be perfect to represent Sam. Some of the boys, those who were less injured than me and Jacob- although we had both _tried _to go and help- went out there with shovels to dig a hole large enough to bury his body in.

With that strenuous task banned by our Pack, I set to growing- with my severe lack of a green finger, some plants to decorate the grave with. Fortunately, I had Life ready to assist me- not Mother Nature, Shadow's Son, Life- and for every seed I planted, he'd make it sprout into a seedling, able to survive on its own. As far as I was aware, Jacob was away crafting a marker to mark the grave, but what he was going to do with it design-wise I wasn't sure of.

I channelled my inner Renee, and researched deeply into what certain flowers meant- I wasn't about to give Sam a simple daisy. I'd gotten some Hydrangea seeds as one of my selections. It was a lilac colour that seemed to overlayer, crisp and curly. It represented 'heartfelt emotions and gratitude' which was what everyone had to Sam: he did so much for us and received very little in return.

Then there was a 'cosmo' which was a vibrant red with a yellow centre, which apparently represents 'order and harmony'. That's what Sam did within the Pack after all- he kept harmony and peace, but also kept a fair order over us all, and protected us all in his own way. Emily had asked for, with few words, for lavender coloured roses and red roses to be added to the bouquet, and so we did.

Doing my own research again, I learnt that a red rose stood for love, and a lavender rose stood for love at first sight, which was literally what an Imprint was. I added a coral coloured rose, not just for some variety, but also because it meant 'friendship and sympathy' which could be mean two different ways for the two different people who were affected. The last few flowers were elderflower- compassion- gladiolus- the strength of character, honour and conviction- and blue tulips- respect, tranquillity and trust.

"Thank you for helping me with this."

I said to Life, running my hand around his ears. He nodded his head. I couldn't help but notice that he was more scarred then I had last seen him. That was likely due to the war.. Though a little hot-headed, reminding me of Paul- _oh Paul, I miss you. I miss your tenacity and stubbornness- _he was more kindly then one would think at first appearances. I picked up the pots and cradled my bracelet close to my chest- waiting for one of the boys to come and pick me up.

* * *

"Samuel Joshua Uley was my first introduction to the Quileutes- even though I hadn't known it yet. He was the one I met when I tried to see Jacob, the one who prevented me from seeing him. It's safe to say that I didn't have the best impression of him. That's pretty rare for me- usually, I get on with most people. But that viewpoint quickly changed once I'd gotten some perspective. Those of you who know me understand what I went through, and why someone to follow was something I needed. For those of you who don't, let's just say I was injured and had to adapt quickly to a change in circumstance. My opinion changed of Sam once I understood why he had acted the way he did- to try and protect both me and Jacob- and my opinion changed from a cruel man to a kindly, guiding spirit. One that I could appreciate."

I took a minute to collect myself, tears streaming down my face as I stood a few metres in front of the hole. In the bushes, I could make out some of Shadow's children watching, and so was Shadow. Some of the other packs had representatives within the hordes of people, and of course, there was my pack- our pack, the pack- sitting, each either sporting bruises or injuries. I took a breath and dabbed the tears away with the back of my hand.

"I looked up to Sam in a way that I could not my father. Paternal in his own way, I looked at him as a big brother, a mentor. He was the one who taught me new skills to help me in my change of circumstance, who helped to look after me when I was injured, who introduced me to his girlfriend Emily, who became a good friend of mine. He calmed me down when I wanted revenge for what happened to me, and promised me justice without unnecessary actions. He defended me until the end and took what I said into consideration, rather than just ignoring me as I had no experience. That was how Sam earned my trust and my respect- always willing to do the right thing, and guide those who needed it. I can only hope that he's at peace now, waiting patiently for us all to join him one day, and I want him to know, if he's listening now, that I vow on my life, that I'll protect Emily until the day where I see him again."

In full tears now, I walked off the small stage, bowing my head and returning to my place next to Jacob. He was upset himself, but wrapped his arm around me as the next person- Emily- went up to speak.

* * *

I was on my knees in front of Sam's grave, filled in and covered with dirt. I had dug holes with a trowel I'd brought with me, and I was carefully surrounding his grave with flowers. Jacob's sign- with Samuel Joshua Uley, 1986-2008, with '_L__awat__s__á·__kil __ta__k__á· __k__w__ay__á__·__y__ak_ Ꜿ_í__·__tsá__·__da_x xilikɨd_·__o' _inscribed into that.

Which, for those of us who don't read or speak Quiluette, means 'Wolf who howls, never forgotten.' The last few flowers were being planted, and I had all faith that they'd grow strong- perhaps guided by the tree. As the wind whipped around me gently, embracing me like a hug, I patted Sam's grave like I would Jacob's fur.

"I meant what I said. I'll look after her."

I bowed my head, a few more tears dripping onto the grave and resulting in a wet patch.

"Rest in peace brother."

And I could swear the wind got more intense.

* * *

Leah was next. Sue and Seth had decided to bury her within the forest, at the heart, where Harry would take the three of them. There was a small lake where they would sit and fish, and there was a small pier which Harry and my dad had constructed long before I permanently left Forks.

So, that was where Leah was buried, just to the side of that little pier. Like I did for Sam, I picked out a few flowers, different ones to Sam, and again, Life helped me grow them. Alstroemeria; a pink flower, with yellow centres, meaning friendship, a white chrysanthemum; meaning truth and loyal love, heather lavender; admiration, solitude and beauty, and hydrangea; heartfelt emotions, and gratitude.

Jake had made another marker, this one in the shape of a leaf, which had her name and details engraved into it. Leah Clearwater, 1986-2008, with another Quileute phrase engraved into it. This one looked like this, in neat intricate writing:_ '__bikk__w__á__·__yoli t__í·__wa _Ꜿ_á__x__w_ _tax__í·__lit' _or, 'Guard in Spirit'.

Leah and I had a close sisterhood- distanced at the beginning, but closer at the end. We were devoted in a way that symbolised a close friendship, but not a relationship, and we both had a deep understanding of one another.

Being the two girls in the pack, we had formed a strong bond. She, along with the rest, helped me get over the betrayal of Edward, and in turn, I helped her get over the hurt unintentionally caused by Sam. She had no longer been so cold and spiteful, and the pack had warmed up to her. Seth, I had heard, was whittling a little symbol for Jake to stick onto the sign, something he could use to remember and signify his sister.

* * *

The congregation for Leah's funeral was smaller than Sam's. Whereas Sam had been largely known in the community for his good deeds and willingness to help, Leah had been more of a recluse. As such, I didn't have to censor my speech as I did with Sam's. I could be open.

As Alpha Female, I was required to present my speech at the funeral, something I hated, mainly because I was still introverted by nature. Still, speaking from the heart had gone well at Sam's funeral, so hopefully, it went the same.

As I stood up, barely managing to keep my tears in check before I spoke- thanks to my wolf- I looked at the assembled community, ready to say their goodbyes to Leah. Seth and Sue were here, so was our Pack, Shadow's Pack, Charlie and the council, and of course the Imprints of every shifter who came here.

"Leah.. well, when I first saw Leah, I was a little off-put around her. Our personalities clashed quite drastically- ironic, considering how we had the whole wolf thing in common. She was outgoing, confident- all the things that I lacked. I was reserved, introverted. Despite that, it took us little time to warm up to one another- we both bonded over being hurt by those we loved, even if the circumstances behind both were quite different. But we both bonded over several things- one being that we were the smallest, something which the boys loved to point out-"

I paused to allow them to chuckle, Seth having a sheepish grin on his face as tears trickled down. Everyone, even the usually stoic Charlie had a few trickling down, his arm wrapped around Sue. There was something going on there, I'd swear it. Once they looked like they'd collected themselves as well as they could have, I continued speaking, fiddling my wrist awkwardly.

"-and another thing being our repeated annoyance at the boys whenever they did something _especially stupid. _Sorry boys, but that happened more often then you guys admit. So we were like sisters. As the saying goes, I'd take a bullet for her, and I'd hope she'd take one for me. Not that the bullets would do very much- benefit of advanced healing- but the point still stands. The moment we truly respected one another, was when I pounced Sam while training. I managed to pin him accidentally, but as the pack, Leah included, began to rib him, Leah was complimenting me. I believe she said something along the lines of '_Not bad Swan.' _That happened to dredge up unpleasant memories of Gym but also allowed us to mutually trust one another. So, I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I am going to miss Leah, not just as a pack member, not just as the only other girl in the pack, but as a friend and loved one."

I closed off my speech by closing my eyes, an image of Leah as she was springing to mind.

_I'll look after Seth and your Mom. _I vowed as I thought, bowing my head in respect. _For as long as I live, I'll make sure they're safe and cared for._

In Seth's hands, as he approached the grave of his sister, there was a small wooden wolf, with a likeness to Leah, that was holding a small fish in her paws.

* * *

The final funeral I was required to make a speech at was Paul's. The bossy, hot-tempered wolf who was just as likely to bite your head off as he was to chase you. Despite that, I had a sort of fondness towards him. I imagine it sounds rather stupid since I feel the exact same way about everybody in the pack.

It probably doesn't make it seem as significant as it truly was. But it meant as much as it sounds. There was a reason we referred to ourselves as brothers and sisters in arms, and it was because we were as close as kin. He was being buried at First Beach, near where the boys went cliff-diving. He was buried where the sand met the dirt, and on top of his grave, we planted a tree.

To commemorate him. The others had something dedicated to them- Leah, the lake, Sam, the giant tree, so we mutually agreed that Paul would have his conifer tree, his plaque in front of it. We went early in the morning, so we didn't have any awkward interactions, and we said our goodbyes. Again, like I had Sam and Leah, I had selected flowers.

I was probably coming across as a botanist, but flowers were the best way I could respect them. So, Paul got some flowers, and this time, I had a red theme. It was my way of poking fun at bis red-hot temper. So my first flower of choice was a common red flower associated with remembrance- a poppy.

Then some red carnations- symbolising our love and appreciation for him. Dahlia's, to symbolise how he died with dignity, and how committed he was to the Pack, even if he didn't often show it the best way. And finally, amaryllis, which are symbolic of success after a struggle. Yes, that was rather on the nose. While I still had more funerals to attend- Shadow's fallen children- I was rather antsy and on edge.

For some reason that I didn't know. I had Emily and Rachel to see, both of which were blatantly struggling after having their soulmate, and something within Emily's scent had changed recently- I just hadn't pinned it down yet. As I finished doing my hair and stuffed my pockets full of tissues, I left, Embry waiting outside to take me- Jake was out helping dig the hole, even though the others had tried to stop him.

That was Jake for you.. when he wanted to do something, he would do it regardless of what others thought.

* * *

"Paul… well, you guys are probably sick of my speeches by now, there was a reason I failed drama class. Anyway, back to Paul. Paul was, as I'm sure Rachel will attest to, was hot-headed, but caring in his own way. He wasn't open with his caring- in fact, it was often hidden beneath a snarky comment. But that was something I liked about him- about how he was never afraid to tell someone how he felt. At first, he didn't really like me, because of my association with the Vampires, but I couldn't blame him for that- because in the end, he was right. I respected him for that- Jake had never told me because he knew it would hurt me.. and the others… well, they were too polite to tell me to my face."

I grinned, to show I was just teasing, as a few affronted exclamations were audible over everybody else. I smiled at them all and cleared my throat, before beginning to speak again.

"I know some people didn't like that quality of Paul, but I'm not most people. I found it refreshing, the bluntness, the ability to just tell me how it was straight. Paul certainly didn't blunt his words. Sometimes, I would just confide in him, knowing he'd give me his honest opinion. He said to me, once, that _'if I told you how I wanted things to turn out, it could end up harming you more in the long run. If I tell you how it would likely end up, you get hurt in the beginning, and you may hate me, but you'll be more prepared in the long run'. _That was something I could respect, the willingness to do what he thought was right, even if it would hurt someone else. Paul was… like an older brother to me. The one who could be snappy sometimes and snippy, but was still protective over his little sister. I had- have- a deep respect for Paul, and I'll always miss him- yes, even his ferocious temper."

I nodded to them all, before waiting for Jacob to come up and join me, looking snappy in his suit. He bowed his head and began to speak, and I paid avid attention towards him, enthralled in what he was saying. And as he did that, I vowed, as I had for the others,

'_I'll look after Rachel for you. It's the least I can do.'_

On his grave, the words '_ch__í__k__w__a_Ꜿ t_á__·__1it hó__·__k__w__alas x__á__·__ќ__al' _burned into my memory, words that were added to the list that I would never forget.

(Quileute means flaming heart, burns strong)

* * *

Author's Note

Whoo! A full chapter!

With my prelims done, I've had tons of time to finish writing. And, I'm sad to say, next week will be the **_final _**chapter of Bloodmoon. It will be an epilogue of sorts- what happens after, that we don't see.

So, if there is anything you want to see, let me know! I guess that's our QOTW!

Now, it's twenty to midnight, so I'd better wind down everything, so I'll see you all next week for a ridiculously long author's note and a little bit of me crying.

See you then!

~Cait

Also, all Quileute translations are approximate and are written using the website quileutelanguage(.com). I could've just written it in English... but I felt like there was something special about writing it in Quileute.


	45. Chapter 45 - Skyfall

This is the end  
Hold your breath and count to ten  
Feel the earth move and then  
Hear my heart burst again

For this is the end  
I've drowned and dreamt this moment  
So overdue I owe them  
Swept away, I'm stolen

Let the sky fall  
When it crumbles  
We will stand tall  
Face it all together

Skyfall, by Adele, released on the 5th October 2012

* * *

The remainder of our lives- long as they were due to the whole wolf thing, went by relatively smoothly. We had several years worth of things to summarise, so I've grouped them, in case some of our descendants choose to read this. Recording events like this meant everything in Quileute culture, and if I could help wolves further down the line, even just one, then it was worth it. So, with that overdrawn introduction, let's continue.

* * *

Children

We learnt, a few months later, after the battle, why we felt so close to Shadow. It was because, in a sense, we were related. He was the son of my wolf spirit- the exact same one who I had witnessed in the dream all those years ago. The wolf pup who was protected underneath his mother's stomach, the sole survivor of his pack. That was why myself and Jacob felt so drawn to him, so protective: he was, in a sense, our pseudo child.

That was also why he had a power- since our wolf spirits had powers, that automatically meant he had one. It appeared to be a dominant gene. The reason my wolf and Jacob had powers, along with several other shifter spirits, was because they had vowed to the Forest Spirit that they would guard it forever, and thus, were imbued with its power.

Emily also had a baby boy. With tanned skin and tousled brown hair, he was a perfect mirror of Sam. The change in her scent I noted? Yeah, well, she was pregnant. He was christened Samuel Junior, in honour of his late father. He had Emily's eyes though- warm and innocent. When he was born- Emily changed for the better. She became like her old self again- cooking, baking, able to look at one of us in wolf form again.

As a present, we had a local artist on the Reservation paint a canvas of Sam in his wolf form, with Emily and Sam Jr next to him. It came out beautifully, and even now, it rests above her fireplace, next to a small locket made out of some of Sam's tree, which burnt down to an ash and stored in a gemstone.

We also had children, future descendants of the Alpha role should they phase. There was a worry that we couldn't conceive due to all the strain that my body went through, but after a few months of trying, we had our little boy. He had hazel brown eyes with a dusting of black hair, along with tanned skin. He was named Pala. A combination of Paul and Leah, which was unique enough to not differ him too much.

We had debated with Paolo and Percy, before deciding on Pala. Percy just reminded me of Percy Pigs, and I wasn't subjecting our child to being called Porky for the rest of his life. Pala was the only child of ours to not have a Quileute name. A few years later, we had twins, much to our surprise and my later hatred- just ask Jacob what I did while I was in labour.

We had two girls. One had light brown hair with ginger flecks, and the other had a dark blond colour. One had blue eyes, the other had green eyes. We named the green-eyed girl Abey and the blue-eyed girl Alona. Abey, pronounced 'Abby', meant leaf, named for the forests we roam, and Alona meant 'oak tree'.

We had a very woodsy theme going on- or perhaps that was just a theme with Quileute names. Finally, we had one more child- a boy, to make our numbers equal. He was called Nahele, or 'forest'. Honestly, had you told me ten, twenty, thirty years ago that I would have four children with Jacob, I would have laughed in their faces. Mainly because I hadn't seen myself as a mother. But with those four… Well, I got the motherhood bug.

Of course, some of the others had children. Seth and Honour had pups of their own- many, many, years down the line. Trust me, Sue had been very insistent on that front. Nowadays, Seth spent most of his time in wolf form due to Honour, but it wasn't unusual to see him occasionally in human form.

I couldn't see Seth ever giving up his wolf… because it would separate him from his Imprint… but the two of them were happy. Jacob was training up Seth to be the future Alpha, should the day come when we retire our wolves, but I was extremely attached to mine. The mere thought of losing mine hurt me deeply… like she had said oh so long ago, I was her, and she was me. Which was how I still looked no younger than twenty, as did Jacob.

It was a little to go out nowadays in case we were recognised by someone from our past. Which was why Shadow had taught us- between him and our respective wolves anyway- how to manipulate our appearance on the outside. Which was how I looked like an 80-year-old instead of how I actually looked. We, at the very least, didn't have to worry so much on the Reservation.

Since this section of our little record of life is getting fairly long, I'll go over the Pack's children, our descendants if you will. And if you are thinking 'isn't it odd to remain the same age while your children grow' then, yeah, it is. And they'd all phased, pretty much instantaneously from birth, making it incredibly shocking when we saw our first child running around the house.

Not all pups did so, however- we presumed that ours did because of the blood of two Alphas. Anyway, Jared and Kim, had twins, two little girls named Tyla and Milly. He gave up his wolf soon after their birth. The two girls were close in age to our eldest, and we brought them to play together all the time. Collin and Brady were still phasing, and hadn't found their Imprints yet- and thus, hadn't conceived children.

It was jarring when you looked at them years upon years later, still looking fifteen when in actuality they were about sixty-five by now. Yeah, that was as weird as it sounded. Embry had found his Imprint in Angela- yeah, Angela Webber. Now, that was a clusterfuck of a situation, considering she was with Ben. But… Ben was a sweet boy, and when she broke it off- amicably, with no intervention from Embry who was content to wait- it took the two few months to get together and be happy as can be.

They got married a couple of years later and had their triplets- a weird common occurrence in shifters apparently, having multiples of children- a boy, two girls. The boy was called Benjamin Jacob Call- named after Jacob, who was made godfather, with girl one being called Aria Leah Call, and their final daughter being called Elea Isabella Call, after myself, who was the godmother.

Embry had kept his wolf and only gave it up once he and Angela were at similar ages. Quil hadn't given up his wolf until little Claire- not so little now- had hit a suitable age, nearing nineteen. Then those two pursued a relationship, and later, a lot later, they had the one child: a boy called Walker.

He was the same age as Nahele, so the two got on much like how Quil and Jacob got on. Seth, who was a wonderful dad, had like forty thousand kids at this point. Okay, I'm exaggerating, he had ten. Although, that was one set of quintuplets, one triplet, and one twin, who were identical. They were odd-looking, because some were pure-blooded wolves, and some were hybrid creatures.

We'll start with the pure-blooded wolf pups. Blackberry-Sweet-Heart, Blue-Soul-Aire, Fang-Lark-Hunt, Marsh-Finn-Sea, and Thyme-Rose-Sage. They could theoretically shift into human form, using the same powers that Shadow used, but they were, at heart, wolves, just more intelligent. Then there was Meadow, Fawn, Natural, and Forest. And apparently, they were waiting for them to grow up, before deciding if they were going to have any more.

That was all the pups named I believe- if I'm still around then, I'll come back and edit it. But for now, maybe we should move onto another topic.

* * *

Marriage

Our wedding was a beautiful event. I'm not saying that out of bias or anything like that, it simply was beautiful. We had it mid-spring, where our meadow was, all the flowers blooming and the colours vibrant and joyful. Our wedding arch was made out of neat and curved wood, with purple and white flowers sprouting off it.

The boys had carried out seats and laid them out in neat rows, for our admittedly very quiet wedding. My dress was a pale brown- an earthy brown, designed to make me feel closer to the earth. Around my wrist there was my charm bracelet, jangling with more and more charms than it had been previously. Around my neck, there was a necklace with a lone wolf fang, connecting me to my wolf. Jacob was wearing a black suit with a deep brown tie, with intricate spirals.

I was so scared when it came to walking up the aisle because we all knew what my clumsiness was like- even when I hadn't fallen since I'd become a wolf. Still, my dad took me up to Jacob's side, who was looking at me as if the imprint had renewed all over again. And I knew I looked at him like that. The whole wedding went so fast that I didn't even have time to register what had happened, and before I knew it, Jacob was saying his vows.

"Bella. Ever since I saw you for the first time, when I was just small and clumsy- like you- I knew that I loved you. More than just a big sister, you were my best friend, my heart, my love, and most importantly, my entire world. Everything I did revolved around your happiness. The day you accepted my love definitely made the sacrifices I had made worth it because I got my happiness right then and there. You are so caring, like a mother to the pack, and every time I see your fond or exasperated brown eyes, I fall even deeper in love with you. You are my lover, my heart, my wolf, and I love you ever so much. Marriage is just a symbol of our love, but our love is so much more than that. Thank you for blessing me with the opportunity to marry you, and I will love you forever- to cherish and to hold, forever and always."

My tears were being blinked back viciously, tears of joy. I realised it was my turn, and took a breath, staring unwaveringly into his eyes, holding his hands and trying to project to him what I couldn't say.

"Jake. It took a while I know, but I have absolutely no regrets about staying with you. You have stuck by me, through thick and thin, through health and sickness. You nursed me from death, rescued me from trying times, and always protected me, even if that was from myself. Whenever I had doubts in myself or low self-esteem, you built me back up again, confirming that I was beautiful, that I was everything to you and more. I learnt that your touches were kind, loving, gentle, and I was always treated as an equal, even if I wasn't as knowledgeable as some. Standing by my side, by my decisions, meant more than I can ever describe to me, and I hope I can show you this over our years of marriage- and our relationship. You are my protector, my lover, my one and only. You are the other half of my heart, and I will cherish you forever and always. You are my one true heart Jacob, and I will love you until my dying breath."

And with that, we exchanged rings, and we were husband and wife with the chorus of 'I do's', and we were on top of the world.

* * *

Deaths

Unfortunately, while I was frozen at the age of 17 or whatever, the other members- Emily, Kim, Charlie, Billy, Renee, etc, were not. Charles Swan, my father, died on the 4th of October, 2050, at the age of 86. It was quick and painless, and we were all surrounding him when he died, all our children, Jacob, and Seth, cradling a few of his own children. Sue was there too. Billy had died a few summers prior, leaving my father as the last man standing- Old Quil had died twenty years ago.

And now, it was his turn to go. I traced circles in his pale and veiny hand, looking at him laying on his hospital bed.I was trembling slightly- not because I was about to phase, I had long since mastered my phasing- but because I was devastated.

"It's okay Dad. You can go. You don't need to protect me any more."

I smiled sadly, melancholic and gently squeezing his hand. Dad slipped off the tongue easier then I would have thought, considering I'd called him Charlie for as long as I can remember. He lifted his hand and swept a curl of my hair behind my ears, and pulled a limp smile. Tears trailed down my face as Jake wrapped his free arm around my neck, silently supporting me.

"Bells. You're so beautiful."

He murmured, eyes sliding shut of their own accord, only to flutter open again in a slow moment.

"You tell me that a lot Dad."

Pala was in front of me, tears flooding down his face as I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close as he cuddled into my side, whimpering 'Grandpa Charlie' under his breath. I hushed him, nuzzling him as our other children stood watching, the twins were supporting one another, and Nahele was standing stoic, yet still discernibly upset.

He was like my dad with how he expressed emotions. With our wolf spirits having powers, our children did too, and like a mimicry of Jasper, Nahele was an empath, being able to read emotions and manipulate them, but not be affected by them himself- and when I said that, I meant he wasn't affected by other's emotions.

"My grandchildren… my daughter… Jake, look after them."

"I will. Say hi to my old man."

Charlie died with a smile on his face, his police badge resting over his heart, and his presence being mourned by his family and his wife.

Over the years, the people that I loved like a second family died too, leaving me more disheartened than the last. The choice I made to- we made- to stick with our wolves had allowed us to spend more time with our children, but had condemned us to watch our friends and loved ones die.

I was there with Sam Jr as he watched his mother die, with Tyla and Milly as they watched Jared and Kim die, with Elea and Aria, with Walker, as their parents finally passed on, while we stayed the same.

The guilt tore the both of us apart- for had the other Imprints been able to phase, they wouldn't have had to leave their children. Embry, Quil and Jake were brothers without blood- and when they eventually died, Embry first followed by Quil a few years later, Jake was like I had never seen him- heartbroken and despondent like Emily and Rachel had been after their Imprints had been.

He'd spend hours looking at photos, cherishing his memories, and simply looking at their respective children as an overbearing parent. I had to pull him away on several occasions just to get him to eat, and it was hard going. He… didn't cope with it well, but I stood by him, intentionally trying to support him.

And as Walker, Elea, Aria, Sam Jr, Tyla and Milly, etc etc, grew up, having children of their own, we watched over them, as we had promised, continuing on. And eventually, we got onto the main event- giving up _our_ wolves.

* * *

Shifterdom

We went to bed one day, deciding that we had to give up our wolves. With all our friends having aged normally, we were the only ones still around- and truthfully, we'd gotten tired of our continued existence. All we wanted to do was visit the ones we'd lost over the years. Our children had children who had children.

We didn't need to see any more generations grow up now that they had Seth looking after them all. So, we resolved ourselves, after a mutual decision, we would give up a part of ourselves, and finally age. You might be wondering how one would give up their wolf- well, you just had to discuss it together, and they would simply… go, in the middle of the night. After I fell asleep, heavy lids closing, I awoke in the meadow.

Jacob was by my side, his hand in my own, and we looked around us, seeing our wolf spirits approaching us from the front. Beside them, there were some slightly translucent wolf spirits, ones we both recognised. Sam's gentle giant of a wolf, fur as dark as the night, Embry's wolf, quiet and silent, padding across like a shadow, Quil's chocolate furred wolf, as sweet as his namesake colour, Leah's lithe silver wolf, Paul's hotheaded wolf and Jared's dark brown, not quite chocolate wolf.

Focusing on each individual wolf, my heart hurting for our lost friends, I could almost make out the standing forms of their respective humans, standing next to their spirits. I knelt down silently, my hand reaching out for my wolf. She nuzzled into it, her splodged fur beginning to turn translucent to match the others. Jacob was doing the same with his wolf, with his Spirit's fur also beginning to go translucent.

"_I'll see you again."_

She murmured, giving me a gentle lick as tears stung in my eye. She pushed forward into me, the top of her head pushing into my chest as I ran my hands down her back, hugging her in a close way. I hummed, crying, unwilling to let her go. If I was so unhappy with letting her go, then why was I? Because I had to give her away in order to age… and if I wanted to see our pack again… I'd have to let her go.

"_We will be forever bonded. You may not have me in your spirit any more, but we will be linked."_

She comforted, nuzzling into me. I could see Jacob's wolf repeating a similar gesture. She bowed her head before her eyes looked up to meet me.

"_Should you ever need me, I'll be there. You are my pup, my little one. I won't leave you alone."_

As she groomed my face, I grabbed onto her tighter.

"Thank you for everything."

She slipped out of my hold easily, retreating back a little. She mock crouched down, wagging her tail in the first instance that I'd ever seen her do so.

"_Thank you for allowing me to know my son. We will not be apart for long- a few years is a small trial compared to what else we have both been through."_

As she backed away so she was standing side by side with Sam's spirit, Jacob's wolf did the same, their fur almost fully translucent now. We bowed, me and Jacob joined with our hands as we waved a weeping goodbye to our wolves. We parted to the sound of a united howl, as we left the waking world and instead entered the world of the living.

* * *

The Epilogue

We lived for about eighty years after that- well, I was running on 82, and Jake had been on 87. When I… died… I went surrounded by Jake, Seth, his children, his Imprint, and all the kids- including Shadow's, who were all watching me. Jake would follow me a few months later.

It was as simple as falling asleep to Jacob crooning and waking up in the forest where I had left my wolf all those years ago. But this time, everybody was here. My wolf spirit, Jacob's wolf spirit, Charlie, Emily, Sam, Paul, Sue, everybody. I had never realised how much I had missed them until then. Sam was the first one to embrace me into a hug, wrapping me in his still firm grip.

"Bella!"

He nodded, looking at me with a sad look on his face. I looked at my hands- young, with none of the wrinkles that came with age. I smiled at Sam, a genuine smile as I patted him on the back.

"I missed you. I'm-"

"I swear if you apologise for the fact that we died fighting a battle for you, I _will_ maul you."

Leah came out of nowhere, her wolf flanking her like some sort of domesticated dog, despite being anything but. Sam released me, returning to Emily's side- who was unscarred, to my momentary surprise- and hugged me as well, unusually expressive.

"But-"

"Bella. We chose to fight for you. It was only natural that some of us would die- it was a war. I certainly don't blame you for it, and neither does Leah or Paul for that matter."

Sam interceded, shaking his head. Leah tousled my hair before pulling away, causing me to get attacked by Charlie, who was practically crushing me.

"Dad… can't… breathe…"

He released me immediately.

"Bells! I missed you."

"We all did."

A voice from the back said, and I realised that it was Billy. He smirked at me as I double-taked at the sight of him _standing__._ Billy inclined his head towards me with a gentle smile.

"Thank you for keeping my son out of trouble."

"My pleasure."

I replied, approaching my wolf who nuzzled into me.

"I told you it wouldn't be long until we saw one another again. Now, come. Shall we see how Jacob is doing?"

I couldn't be more eager to see.

Two months after I had died, and moved on to this existence, Jacob joined us here in this weird after-party version of heaven, with all those we had ever he hadn't none it, I'd watched him go, from the corner of the hospital room which he was in, invisible to everyone.

Like when I had gone, he was surrounded by the others, mourning him and saying their teary goodbyes, with our children, and _their children_ looking on. His eyes pinned on me in the corner as his breathing began to slow, and he called out to me, sounding astonished and awed at my appearance.

"Bells? My Bells?"

I nodded.

"It's time to come with me, Jake."

I told him, offering my hand. And like he had done so many times before, he grabbed it willingly, and we left his body behind.

When he woke up again, in our version of Heaven, I got to deal with a crying Jacob and his tight arms around my waist. I nuzzled into him, relishing in the warmth of his skin and his presence.

"I missed you."

He breathed, like a blind man seeing the light for the first time.

"I missed you too, my wolf, my Alpha. But so did some others-"

And I gestured behind me, to the assembled crowd of our friends and family, resulting in a hitched grasp from Jake. I grabbed his hand and held it over my heart.

"Just because it's the end of one life, doesn't mean we can't start another."

Jacob dipped his head, clenching my hand and smiling at me, a sad, but happy smile.

"Let's do it then, Bells."

And with that, we walked together towards our family and friends- waiting for the next person to appear in our version of heaven, and enjoying our time with our families- in a world- existence- without strife or war. Overhead, a red moon twinkled calmly in the dusky sky, a guiding influence for all.

* * *

Author's Note

And cut.

There we go everyone, Twilight: The Bloodmoon is finished, in all its 45 chapters, and 145,656-word glory.

It's amazing when you consider that the original draft was 5 chapters, 24 pages, and 15, 594 words. What _happened?_

It's been a blast to write this story, and I appreciate all of the reviews, the favourites, the follows and the comments. I appreciate it all, and the support I've been given is overwhelming.

So thank you all! Whether I see you on another Twilight Story or you read one of my others, thank you all, and I love you all!

See you all next time!

~Cait

**Edit: Thanks to reviewer MammaNita for pointing out the continuity error. Fixed it now!**


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